Hero-Quest Adventures: Jump Start
by KHXhero
Summary: After saving a young girl, Gumball and his family find themselves on the run from a sinister organization. Meanwhile, Jamiko CJ Miyamoto recruits Sonic the Hedgehog, and various other heroes into the SPD to save the world from the Dark Phoenix, an evil organization who are using Shadow-Kaijin to take over the world.
1. Chapter 1: A Rough Beginning

**Author's Note: I honestly don't have words to describe about posting this story. Probably willing, fear, but yet exhilaration. This has been a year in the making, and now I will share with all of you, the story of how a band of heroes from various tv shows and video games, unite to protect their friends, and take on a vicious enemy that is messing with forces that they cannot understand.**

**But this story isn't just about heroes facing bad guys. It's about family. Family of either relatives or friends sticking together, facing the hardships of life. So everyone, sit back and enjoy the show!**

**This Story is Rated M for Intense Violence, Language, Crude Humor, Suggestive and Sexual Themes that may not be suitable for younger audiences. Contains mentioning of assault and scenes of experimentations on various characters, but no scenes of intercourse what so ever... or at least I think.**

**Also, all characters belong to their rightful owners, such as Cartoon Network, SEGA, Insomniac Games, Naughty Dog, Nickelodeon, Moonscoop, Gaumont Animation, Toei, and various others.**

**So anyway, please sit back, and enjoy the show!**

* * *

_**HERO-QUEST Adventures: Jump Start**_

**_Chapter 01: A Rough Beginning_**

_**Ruins of the Renault Factory**_

_**2:02AM**_

It was a few hours before dawn, and the sky was very clear, allowing the moon and stars to light up the night. But while it was peaceful in the town nearby, there was work going on at the old abandoned Renault Factory. There was some noise, while some workers in white suits were navigating the area, while investigating it as well. One of them, Barney Calhoun, dressed in a black armored suit that used to be worn by Combine Policemen, was minding his own business outside the factory. Barney Calhoun used to be a mid-level security officer at the Black Mesa Research Facility, tasked with guarding assigned sections, performing general maintenance, and assisting the science team when needed. But now, he was now part of the US Faction of the SPD, the Space Police Delta, an group that protect Earth from sinister, supernatural, and intergalactic forces that threaten it. He was technically waiting for someone.

Pretty soon, the wind around him began to pick up. But it wasn't mother nature doing it. The force was coming from a helicopter nearby, making a landing. Giving a breath of relief, he approached the copter as it finally landed on the solid ground. Emerging from the copter doors was a young woman in her mid-twenties with brown, short hair with streaks of red, held back with a headband so it doesn't cover her green eyes. She wore a brown leather jacket with jeans and brown work boots. Underneath was a grey hooded sweater bearing the SPD logo, with the words Space Police Delta under it. Her hands were covered with black fingerless rappelling gloves, and a green belt with a gun and EMP tool attached around her around her waist. Around her neck was a little box-like jewel, made either out of wood or metal. On the stem of her neck was an unrecognizable birthmark.

Alyx Vance is who she is. She is the daughter of Eli Vance, who was one of the leading members of the US Faction of the SPD. She was one of the commanding officers, and Barney, was one of her men.

"Alyx!" Barney called out. "It's about time."

"You can save it, Barney." Alyx said as she got off the copter, making her way to the factory. "We got work to do."

"Say Alyx, what are we even doing here?" Barney asked. "We're brought all the way out here at some old abandoned factory for what, scrap metal?"

"It's more than that Barney." Alyx said. "One of our energy readers picked up a strange energy anomally here, and according to the scanners, it's nuclear energy."

"Nuclear energy?" Barney asked. "Why would there be nuclear energy here in a place that makes cars?"

"That's what we need to find out." Alyx said as they got close to the entrance. "We need to search this place from top to bottom."

"But that could take hours... maybe days." Barney said, feeling a bit unsure.

"Not with our new recruit." Alyx said.

"New recruit?" Barney asked, as the girl turned her head to see the sky.

"Yep, and here he comes." She said, pointing upwards, with Barney looking too. In the sky was something flying in the sky. It was hard to tell at first, but as it flew closer and lower to the ground. It was actually a creature... a dog to be precise!

Making his landing, the dog revealed himself to be a German Shepherd, around two years old, but fourteen in dog years. His brown fur covered his body, with a lighter tan color on his underbelly, his face, and all four of his paws, with his tail shaped slightly like a beaver's tail. He wore a special black suit with blue glowing details with yellow patches on his arms. He wore high-tech metal boots that fitted perfectly on his paws. He also wore a baseball shaped helmet that also had light blue detailings as well. But on the front of the helmet was a symbol of a shield, with a pawprint in the center.

"When you least expect him... Expect him." He spoke.

"Hey Chase!" Alyx called out, getting the pup's attention. "Over here!"

"Oh, right!" The pup, Chase, spoke out as he galloped toward her, with Barney looking at the pup a bit surprised.

"He's a talking dog?" He asked.

"A pup... of the law." Alyx said.

"Oooh..." Barney said as the pup made his way toward the two.

"Chase of the Paw Patrol?" Alyx asked.

"Good evening, Miss Vance." Chase said. "Daughter of Eli Vance, correct?"

"Correct." Alyx said. "Follow us." As she led the way, the pup followed suit. As many know already, Chase is the second in command of the Paw Patrol, a team made up of various pups led by their human owner Ryder, that do rescue missions, secret spy missions, and ultimate missions alike. Chase's primary job is being a Cop pup, where he helps keep things in line, warning traffic when an emergancy happens, track missing animals and or people, and he's even made helped policemen capture and arrest several crooks in the process. He's also done some various spy missions too. His good work got the attention of the Space Police Delta, and was recruited just a few months ago as one of the newest mammal members. Chase is very mature for his age, and takes his job seriously as he can. But he can be playful when he's not working, and he even shows an emotional side if he needs to.

"Sorry to wake you up at such a late hour." Alyx said.

"It's no biggie." Chase said. "Comes with being a cop pup. We always wake up when we're in need of assistance. But why did you call me out to some old factory."

"Our energy reader picked up a strange power anomally coming from somewhere here in the factory." Alyx said. "According to the scanner, it's nuclear energy."

"You already said that." Barney said.

"I know, but I'm telling him that." Alyx said.

"Nuclear Energy?" Chase asked. But isn't this factory used to make cars?"

"Used to." Alyx said. "But it's been abandoned for a long time. And apparently, if there is nuclear energy here, then there's something around here that's powered by it and we need to find it. And no one tracks anything better than you."

"So you brought me all the way out here to help you find something?" Chase asked.

"Well, in a way, yes." Barney said. Hearing that made Chase raise an eyebrow, but neverless, when someone needs him, no matter how big or small it is, Chase in on the case.

"No need to worry." Chase said with a smile. "My nose can pick up anything, so long as there's no kittens or feathers."

"Alright, lead the way." Barney said. The police pup spy gave a nod and began sniffing the ground, and began moving across the floor. He continued on and on, until he stopped, picking up a scent.

"Hold on, I think I found something." Chase said as he sniffed the ground.

"You did?" Alyx asked.

"Yeah, it's right below us." Chase said. "The scent is underneath the factory."

"Excellent job!" Barney said.

"What can I say?" Chase spoke. "Told ya I can sniff anything..." But as his nose sniffed again, he lowered to the ground, a bit confused. He picked up another scent... but... it was something else... a person?

"Hey... who's this?" He asked, sniffing the ground again.

"What'd you find?" Alyx asked.

"A lot of scents." Chase said as he continued to sniff. "Some... teenagers... and a dog... The scents are definitely a year old, but they lead toward..." He then followed the scent and continued onward, leading them to a strange square sized sealed up hole.

"Here!" He said. "The scents go all the way down here."

"To where?" Barney asked.

"Below this floor..." Chase said. Alyx took a look herself, seeing the sealed up hole in front of her.

"An elevator shaft..." She said, then begun looking around. Her flashlight turned every time she did, trying to find something. "Maybe there's a switch somewhere." Barney took a couple steps backward, but then his back hit something, and pressed against it, causing a loud noise to be heard. Turning around, he saw a switch, and it was glowing. Apparently, he must've activated it unpurpose. The three then turned toward the sealed up shaft, and it opened up, revealing an elevator rising up and opening it's doors.

"Whoa..." Chase said. "An elevator! But where does it lead?"

"Let's find out." Alyx said as she stepped inside.

"Um... isn't this trespassing though?" Chase asked.

"It's not trespassing if the door's opened." Alyx said with a wink. The pup then gave a shrug and followed in with Barney. As the door closed behind them, the elevator went down, and down.

"So... how are the other pups doing?" Alyx asked.

"We're doing alright." Chase said. "We've been busy in preparations for the peace treaty between the Kingdom of Acorn and Gemina in New York City. It's gonna be the day of the century."

"I'll say." Alyx said. "Sorry you may have to miss it."

"It's alright." Chase said. "To be honest, peace signings can be pretty boring. But I'm sure Princess Acorn will be fine, especially if he's there."

"How is Princess Acorn?" Alyx asked.

"Doing well." Chase said. "She's still recovering over the ordeal with the Black Arms Invasion, but she's doing a lot better now."

"Say, have you made a move on that poodle friend of your's yet?" Barney asked.

"Uhhh, Skye's actually a Cockapoo." Chase said. "And what do you mean make a move on her?"

"You know, ask her out on a date yet." Barney said. Processing what he just said, Chase quickly blushed and froze in place.

"Wh.. No, it's not like that." Chase said. "She's just a friend... though we have been pretty close lately..." He turned his head and thought about it. Again, Chase being the serious one, he tries not to show his emotional side. But over the months, he and Skye have been getting much closer, to the point of both of them liking each other a lot. And now, with them being in the teen age in dog years, they have been... feeling mushy inside.

"You think he's thinking about-" Barney asked, only to be interrupted by Alyx.

"Don't even say it Barnes..." Alyx said. Then suddenly, the elevator began to slow down, and come to a quick stop. Then, the doors opened up, and to their surprise, they saw something quite fascinating. Inside was a multi-green colored room, with the walls possibly made of metal, and in the center of it was a strange pedastal, and there was some strange glow and mist at the bottom.

"There's nothing in here." Barney said. "Just an empty room."

"Don't be so sure." Chase said as he came into the room and began sniffing. Moving toward the platform, he caught a strange scent.

"There's some kind of vapor coming from here." Chase said. "Smells like... Helium?"

"Liquid helium?" Alyx asked. "But how exactly is this possible?"

"Whatever it is, there's something down there." Chase said.

"Then let's see if we can get it out." Barney said as he moved around the room, and began touching the wall.

"What are you doing?" Alyx asked.

"Trying to find a switch." Barney said. "I found the switch for the elevator shaft."

"You mean you pressed into it, not even knowing it was there." Alyx said.

"Yeah, but I still found it." Barney said as he kept touching the wall, trying to feel some sort of switch, or knob. Suddenly, he felt something. A small square piece that pressed in a little bit the moment he touched.

"Hey, I think I found it." He said, and pressed harder on the square, pushing it in. Then suddenly, the room shook a bit. The hatch in the middle of the room began to open, causing Alyx and Chase to stand aside with surprise. As the group kept out of the way, the pedestal opened up, revealing a large strange looking device consisted of metal, machinery, and of course, a screen with a keyboard and chair in front of it.

"What it that?" Chase asked.

"I think it's a computer..." Barney said, with the three stepping forward, seeing the massive device.

"I have never seen anything like this." Alyx said.

"This computer has to be years old, but yet it's so advanced." Chase said. The pup then looked at the seat, and saw that there was a year and initials on the back of the chair. He examined it carefully.

"Check this out." Chase said. "1994... F... H... Hold on..." He took a closer look, and saw some rough lettering between the F and H.

"Fr...Fra...nz... Ho...pper...?" Chase said, unable to make out the word. Taking his nose, he saw there was some dust on the lettering. Using his paw, he wiped the dust off and read the name.

"Franz Hopper." He spoke out. Alyx turned her head toward the pup, her face full of surprise.

"Franz Hopper?" She asked.

"You know him?" Chase asked.

"Yeah..." Alyx said. "He was a friend of my dad's... and this..." She then glanced at the device in front of her, and her face was showing her head was connecting the dots.

"This was his supercomputer." She said. The pup tilted his head in confusion, while Barney stepped forward and examined the machine.

"So... what do you think?" Barney asked. Alyx only gave a smile.

"Boys, I think we're about to make history."

* * *

_**Meanwhile... in Elmore**_

_**7:45AM**_

Elmore... one of the most exciting places to be... or one of the most craziest places to be. Depending on how anybody would view it. The town is full of the most amazing and exotic things, filled with colorful characters with interesting and unique personalities, such as a massive purple furry giant, a banana family that does jokes and silly things, and a T-rex who bullies people, but wants to have a friend. The most happiest thing that can happen in Elmore is one thing. Summertime! It was Summer here in the town of Elmore. During the season it's hot. It's mostly sunny out. The parks are filled with lots of people. And the best part of it is, is that there is no school during that time. There are a hundred and four days of summer vacation til school comes along to end it. Well, maybe not in every place, but in some places like Elmore, it is. It is the time where the students get out of school and play to their hearts content. Well, not everybody though.

A car was driving on the streets. Luckily since there were barely any other cars, the traffic was pretty fast.

In the passenger seat, sat a young fourteen year-old blue cat with blackish blue eyes, and a tuff of his hair sticking out and down on the top of his head. He had only five whiskers. Three on his left and two on his right. He wore a black-ish cyan hoodie with white strings to tighten the hood if he would put it up. Underneath was a tan-colored sweater with a brown collar and cuffs. He wore grey color jeans, and with a brown belt to keep them up. Being a cat, he didn't wear shoes, only his paws. His shoulder was sticking a bit out of the side of the car as the window was rolled down. He only let out a sigh.

Gumball Watterson, the oldest son in the family, is usually considered the optimistic one. He's willing to help people in the most unlikely way, though the results can be either good or destructive. He always tries his best to stay out of trouble, but trouble always seems to follow him around, and he does what he can to fix it. But, in the past year now, he's been hit hard with depression, and surprisingly, it wasn't because of where he was going to.

Next to him driving was an older blue cat, somewhere in her in her late 30s, who was the younger cat's mother. She has blackish-blue eyes just like her son. She wore a nice untucked workshirt with a rainbow badge snipped on to her left. A nice grey skirt hung down toward her knees. There were no shoes on her feet either. She looked over to her son, seeing him in his depressed state, and gave a sigh as well.

Her name was Nicole Watterson, Gumball's mom, and pretty much the only responsible one in the family. She is considered a workaholic, suffering from lots of emotional stress because of her many duties. She can be strict and demanding, and has an extremely nasty temper when upset. But deep down, she loves her family, especially her son, and even go through great lengths to express that.

Pretty soon, the car pulled up in front of the school, Elmore School, which was divided into two fractions, with one fraction being Elmore Junior High, and the other Elmore High School. Them pulling up to the school was the sign of the worst possible thing that could ever happen to a teenager during the summer: Summer School. It's where a student doesn't reach the grade and have to make up for it during the summer. It is a consequence for those who don't do well in school.

"Well, you ready?" Nicole asked.

"Ready to enter the school gates of hell?" Gumball asked. The older cat only sighed.

"Gumball, we talked about this." Nicole said. "You may not like it either, but this is what happens when you don't study for your tests, especially the finals."

"But mom, I did study for the finals!" Gumball said. "I don't know what went wrong? Maybe I didn't study enough..."

"Well, at least you did study." Nicole said. The younger cat only lowered his eyes. "It'll be fine... it's only gonna be for three weeks."

"Well... summer school isn't actually what's getting me down mom." Gumball said.

"Then what is?" Nicole asked.

"It's... nothing." Gumball said. While he didn't want to talk about it, from the look on her face showed that the mama cat knew already. But she didn't want to bring it up, otherwise it would put him in a more depressing mood.

"I know things are really hard for you, but can you at least try to be cheerful? Please?" Nicole asked. The blue cat gave a defeated sigh.

"Alright... I'll try." Gumball said. "Though I don't know if forcing myself to be happy will make me feel better."

"Love you, Gummypuss." Nicole said, giving her son a peck on the cheek.

"Love you too." Gumball said as he stepped out of the car, taking his backpack and skateboard with him, and walked up the steps and entered the building. Nicole watched until he was right inside. He's changed, she thought. He's changed so much since that horrible incident. If only there was something that could lift his spirits up again. But that would have to wait until later, because she had work. She stared back forward and slowly drove off, knowing one thing for sure. It was going to be a long day for both of them.

As Gumball walked down the hallway, he turned to his left, going into the room he is assigned to. As he opens it, he quickly becomes surprised, seeing all but a few other students present.

"What the what?" Gumball asked. "Banana Joe? Tobias? Tina? Teri? Sussie? Sarah? Alan? Carmen? Bobert? What are all of you guys doing here?"

"Hey man." Tobias said. "We failed our exams too."

"What?!" Gumball asked. "How is that even possible?"

"We don't know." Banana Joe said. "I'm starting to wonder why."

"Me Too!" Alan said. "I did so well on the exams. I don't even know how I got an F?"

"I cannot understand, myself." Bobert said. "I am a robot, and robots are more intelligent than the average human lifeform."

"Well, at least we're going through this together!" Sarah said, though that was met by some students throwing paper at her.

"Well, at least this can't get any worse." Gumball said to himself.

"Ahem..." a voice spoke from behind him. He froze however, knowing who's voice that was. Turning his head, he saw a very old monkey. She had dark grey fur, a homely ugly primate face, and she wore a pale brownish-buff polka-dotted dress. Her arms spanned the length of her body, though she prefers to walk solely on her two legs. She was actually skinny for a primate, probably because she's two million years old.

She was Lucy Simian, Gumball's cruel and grumpy teacher, who takes pleasure in making other students sad and suffer. She despises Gumball with a passion, and even outright lies to everyone so she doesn't get into trouble. She hates being a teacher, though she has had this job for years. If she's here, then that means she's teaching Summer School, much to the blue cat's displeasure.

"Yep, we are going to hell." He said.

"Well, well, Gumball Watterson." Miss Simian spoke. "Why am I not surprised." She then glanced over at the other students, who were shownig worried looks.

"Ok, I'm surprised about this, though." She said.

"Yeah, so am I." Gumball said.

"Well... now that everyone is here... GET IN YOUR SEAT!" She shouted at the blue cat, making him scurry over to the table in the front row.

"Ok class..." Miss Simian began. "You're all probably wondering why you're here..."

"Is it because the school system is rigged?" Tobias asked.

"Close... but NO!" Miss Simian said. "It's because you're all failures! And failures much be punished, I mean... must be disciplined. And that is why I am here, though I don't even want to be here, but hey, I get paid. Now what to do to make you all suffer? Hmmm... I know... POP QUIZ!" Suddenly, she moved her way up to Gumball's table, staring him right in the eyes.

"Let's start with you, Watterson..." She hissed with a smile.

"Wh... why me?" Gumball asked. "Why not Bobert, he's sm-"

"SILENCE!" She shouted in his face. "Because, I don't like you. Now, tell me... Who was the first person in my family that made the Banana Split?" The blue cat tilted his head in confusion.

"That's... not a history question." Gumball said. "And I don't even think your family even made the Banana Split."

"I don't care." She spoke. "Now Answer The Question!"

_-BOOM-_

Suddenly the door opened up, revealing a tall man wearing a nice looking shirt and tie, tanish pants, dress shoes, and a nice brown coat. He stepped inside, surprising everybody, including the teacher.

"Hey!" Miss Simian shouted. "You can't just barge in here while I'm teaching a class!"

"Yes I can." The nice man said. "I'm Jason Dilan Marcus the Third, private investigator. I need to speak with your students."

"Um... ok?" Miss Simian asked.

"Ok... all students stand up." Mr. Marcus said. "Banana Joe, Tobias Wilson, Tina Rex, Sarah G. Lato, Teri, Sussie, Alan, Carmen, Bobert, and Gumball Watterson." Gumball lifted his head in surprise, and stood up with every other student in the class.

"There's been an investigation going on with the CTA scores, and someone in the school system made a critical error or did some illegal tampering with all your final grades." The Investigator said. "Every single one of you in the room, passed with flying colors." Gumball's eyes widened with surprise, as everyone else. Every one of them, including himself, passed their exams?

"Pack your things, you're all going home." The investigator said. "Enjoy your Summer kids." All the kids gasped in surprise and excitement.

"Wait, we all passed?" Teri asked.

"I knew it!" Alan said. "I knew I passed the exam!"

"That means we can go home?" Carmen asked.

"We don't have to go back to this crummy middle school anymore?" Tobias asked.

"I'm a banana!" Banana Joe said. Gumball on the other hand began to form a smile on his face. He quickly jumped onto his desk.

"YES!" He called out. "Thank You, God!" He then jumped off the table and ran out of the classroom, as all the other students were cheering. Miss Simian, however, was quite shocked.

"Wait, what do you mean they passed the grade?!" Miss Simian asked.

"What I mean is that their final grades were just enough to pass your class." Mr. Marcus said. "Some of them got some Cs and Ds, but enough to pass." The old ape was about to speak, but then she was hit with realization.

"You mean... I don't have to teach these kids anymore?" Miss Simian asked. The investigator gave a nod, which resulted with the old ape forming a big smile. "YES! Finally I don't have to deal with these snotty-nosed brats anymore! No more teaching this stupid class! And more importantly... No More Gumball Watterson!"

"Hold on there for just a minute." Mr. Marcus said with his hand up. "Are you Lucy Simian?"

"Yes, yes I am." Miss Simian said. "Why?"

"Well we've been doing some investigations on you and several other teachers as well, and we found some very interesting stuff in your locker." The Investigator said. "We found some stolen food from the cafeteria, some stolen ID, some possessions that belonged to a handful of students, a credit card that was reported stolen recently, and some cash that was also from the Lunch cash registers." As the investigator spoke those reported un-lawful acts, Miss Simian stood there a bit shocked, nearly beginning to sweat.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Miss Simian said hestiantly.

"We checked the school's security footage, and we have you on camera stealing food from the freezer, taking cash out of the cash register, stealing someone's ID from the lost and found, and taking possessions from several lockers, including the credit card." The man spoke, then displayed photos from the security footages, revealing the old ape taking food out of the freezer, taking the cast out of the cash register, and all the other crimes he just explained to her.

"Ummm... that's not me!" Miss Simian said, with a bit of sweat going down her face. "That's my... twin sister!"

"Lucy..." The voice brought both the teacher and the investigator's attention. They both saw Principle Nigel Brown, the slug with a thick coat of brown fur all over his body, with thick round glasses over his eyes. He was in handcuffs, and behind him was the Donut Sheriff, who was actually a round shaped donut with pink frosting.

"Nigel?" Miss Simian asked.

"It's over..." Principle Brown said. "They found out about my fake diploma... and the thefts."

"That's right." Donut Sheriff said, grabbing a hold of Principle Brown's hands. "You should be ashamed of forging a fake diploma to get a job here." The old ape then looked at the investigator, and smiled nervously.

"Ok... Lucy Simian, you're under arrest for multiple counts of thefts as well as willful neglects of minorities." Mr. Marcus said. "And we have the neglects on camera too." The old ape took in a deep breath.

"Alright, I'll come quietly." Miss Simian said. "Can I just do one thing before I go?"

"Ummmm... yes?" The investigator said.

Gumball was already heading down the hall, and he was doing a nice dance along the way. Of course he would, because he didn't have to go to summer school anymore. Which meant no more worrying about the educational system, and he could do whatever he wanted! Well, not everything, cuz it's just a figure of speech. To rap it up, Gumball didn't have to go to school, and nothing could ruin this moment...

"GUMBALL!" A loud shout came from the other end of the hall, getting the blue cat's attention. As he turned his head, he saw Miss Simian, going berserk, and chasing after him.

"AHHH!" Gumball screamed as he ran down the hall, trying to avoid the ape. The blue cat ran as fast as he could from the old primate. Despite the old age, she could really move around, using the walls and the lockers to grab and push with her arms and feet. That's what all types of monkeys, gorillas, apes, and all primates can do, because they're wild and acrobatic. Wait, why was she chasing him? What did he even do this time? Didn't matter now, he thought. He had to get away. Gumball tried everything he could to stop her from chasing him, such as throwing some objects like a fire extinguisher to blast off at her, even throwing a banana peel he took from Banana Joe when he passed by. But nothing could stop the old ape. After taking a glance back, seeing he the ape was far behind, the blue cat looked straight ahead, seeing the front door! His ticket to freedom! He made it, only to find it locked!

"Oh C'mon!" He shouted. He then heard a roar and screech from behind. Turning around he saw Miss Simian, just a hallway away, staring right at him.

"You're not getting out this time, Watterson!" She shouted.

"What's the big idea?!" Gumball asked. "Summer school's over, you can't do anything to me!"

"True, but I'm already going away for a long time, so I might as well get rid of you while I have the chance!" Miss Simian shouted.

"What?!" Gumball asked. "You're gonna kill me?! How is that gonna make you feel better?"

"So tha... wait." The old ape began thinking. "Eh, I don't know, but I'm still gonna kill you regardless!" With one last growl and roar, she charged toward him, as the blue cat screamed. But then, as he squint his eyes once, his eyes suddenly shifted to a strange different color. His sclera became completely black and his eyes began to glow a bright yellow, like a demonic possession but more... scary. This threw off Miss Simian greatly, as the eyes quickly caused her to gasp. As she got close, the blue cat threw his hand backwards and threw a strong swipe, unaware that his hand began to glow a dark color, mixed with purple and red. With that clenched fist, he swung a powerful smack into Miss Simian's face, sending her to the floor unconcious. As the blue cat blinked and opened his eyes, which reverted back to his dark blue color, he froze, seeing the old ape on the ground. He was greatly surprised, seeing how he managed to get a good swing at the hag. He knelt down and gave a sigh of relief. But tension came to his entire body as he saw the strange demonic claw all over his right hand. One would fret or be panic if that happened to them, but Gumball gave a sigh.

"Aww, not again." He spoke. Apparently this had happened before.

"She went this way!" a voice called out. Looking ahead, he heard more voices. Probably the officers of the law. He quickly pulled up his sleeve, covering his newly found claw, just before the officers arrived at the scene. They were quite surprised to see Miss Simian on the ground. Either way, the cops quickly jumped onto her body, causing the body limbs to fling up.

"Lucy Simian, you're under arrest!" The Hamburger cop shouted. "Oh wait, we got her." Soon Mr. Marcus walked up and saw the ape pinned.

"I always despise the old ugly ones." He spoke. He then turned his attention to Gumball.

"Nice hit kid." The investigator said, patting the blue cat's shoulder.

"Uh... thanks." Gumball said with a smile, something the cop knew was a bit nervous.

"You ok?" he asked.

"Yeah, just a bit startled." Gumball said.

"Well, you're safe now." The investigator said giving a smile. As he departed, Gumball's smile faded a bit, and he stared at the ground. Looking back at his pulled up sleeve. Her pulled it back, and saw that the claw was gone, only his blue paw hand. He gave a sigh of relief, glad that it was gone... for now.

* * *

Sometime later, Miss Simian, Principle Brown, and all the other teachers were placed into a couple of police cars. Apparently, during their investigation, the police found out a lot about the rest of the staff at school, where Joan Markham, the school nurse wasn't a real nurse, and Coach Russo wasn't even a real athelete. So far every adult in the school were completely unqualified to be teachers, and broke the rules too. So therefore, the school staff were all going to jail, except for Rocky, the school's janitor, and Gary Hedges, who doesn't work there anymore.

"Wait, why am I arrested?" Mr. Small asked. The tall fluffy cloud-like hippie in handcuffs was being escorted to the police cruiser. "Is it because I'm not a US citizen?"

"No, it because you give horrible advice, and it led to several dangerous accidents at school." The investigator said. "But since you just confessed that part, we're adding that charge too." He then pushed Mr. Smalls into the car and closed the door.

"Well, that's everybody." The Hamburger cop said. "Man, we just made about... at least twenty arrests in one day! A new personal record in the book!"

"These teachers... they disgust me." The investigator said. The rest of the students watched as the teachers were all placed in the cars, all locked up. Gumball was a bit surprised at this too. He knew that everybody on the school board and the entire staff at school were somewhat incompetent, but he never believed that they've done some bad stuff too.

"So, since she nearly assaulted you, do you wanna press charges?" Donut Sheriff asked the blue cat. He then looked at the ape.

"Ummmm... how long are they going to jail for?" Gumball asked.

"Well Brown's looking to eleven years in prison for the diploma forgery." Donut Sheriff said. "We're still trying to figure out the rest of the staff. But as for Miss Simian, she stole a hundred thousand dollars worth of stuff, stolen someone's identity, and committed child neglect, so she's looking at more than thirty-five years." The blue cat looked back at his former teacher and gave a shrug. Sure she tried to kill him, but she's already doing hard time, so it wouldn't make much of a difference.

"Nah, I think that sentence will teach her a lesson." Gumball said.

"Well, that leaves less work for us." Donut Sheriff said. "It's a shame you have a monster for a teacher. And it's a shame that the entire school staff are complete bogus morons, well, most of them at least. Suckers." He then went to his car, and Gumball looked back at the former school teacher.

"Well, enjoy your time in the slammer." Gumball said with a smile and waved. Miss Simian only gave a hateful glare at the blue cat.

"GUMBALL!" She screamed in anger as the car took off down the street, while the other students watched.

"Wait, there aren't any teachers, so now what?" Teri asked.

"Now you guys can enjoy your summer." The investigator said, getting into his car. He then took off as everybody watched him drive down the steet. Soon, the students began to cheer in excitement and happiness.

"We finally don't have to go to Summer School!" Tobias shouted.

"We're Free!" one student shouted.

"We Don't Have To Worry About the Educational System!" Another student shouted.

"I'M A BANANA!" Banana Joe called out. The entire student staff then ran toward the other direction, cheering and praising that there was no school now for the whole summer. But one was actually not cheering or praising, and it was Gumball. He was happy now that he didn't have to go to summer school, but deep down, he was still feeling down. The kind of down that makes you not want to get up in the morning. He turned to the direction the students went toward, and gave a sigh.

"Yeah... it's gonna be a long summer." He said putting on his skate helmet, and pulled out his skateboard. He was a bit happy that he didn't have to endure summer school any longer, but yet, this didn't cheer him up at the most though. He was still depressed. Placing his feet on his skateboard, he rode down the sidewalk, ready for a long summer.

* * *

_Scrub. Scrub. Scrub._

That's all that she could do as she continued to scrub the pipes with the floor scrub. Scrubbing them was a young pink haired girl, dressed in a dark purple dress that reached toward her knees, while her sleeves were a lighter pink, with pink quarter length leggings underneath. Her boots were shades of red, and her dress had a white-ish pink hood. The girl was scrubbing the dirt and dust from inside the pipe. It was actually a disgusting job, but it was the only way for her to get cash.

Pretty soon, it was all done, and she pulled herself out of the hole and fell onto her back, her hand dropping the scrubber, and placed on her hand. While her free hand made its way across her swollen stomach, which looked like she either ate something big, or was far along in pregnancy. With a huff, she lifted herself from the ground and wiped the dirt off her forehead.

"Done..." She said.

"Hey, that was pretty impressive!" a voice called from the side. Turning her head, she saw a few of the construction men, which were actually Lego-like humanoids. The red one was Hank, blue one was Steve, and the gray one with the mustache was George. They were quite impressed with how this young girl managed to clean the pipes.

"Thanks..." She said. "It was a bit hard, but it was worth it."

"Well, you sure are a trooper." George said.

"So... here's your dough." Steve said as she handed her the cash. Taking a glance, the girl counted the amount.

"Wait, this is way less than you said you were gonna give me." She said.

"No, we said that we'd give you a bunch, and that's a bunch." Hank said.

"This is all ones." Aelita said. "It all adds up to twenty."

"And twenty is a bunch." Hank said.

"No it's not." George said, only to get a glare from the other two.

"Look girl, if we had our way, we'd give you double than that, but the economy stinks around here, so we can only give so little." Steve said.

"But hey, we might be able to give you a bit more." George said. "In exchange for some _fun fillin'_..." The girl looked at the construction crew, but then a shocked expression came to her.

"You Perverted Creeps!" She shouted as she slapped George's hand away, making him gasp in a bit of pain. The girl took off running.

"Wait!" Steve called out, but the girl was already gone. He and Hank gave a cold glare at George.

"Real smooth George." Hank said. "You made us look like sick freaks! What the hell is wrong with y'all?"

"What?" George asked. "I was asking if she wanted to help fill up cracks in the sidewalks with cement! It's the only fun thing we do around here!"

"Well, why did you say it like that?!" Steve asked.

"I've been listening to a lot of rap music lately." George said.

Back with the girl, she quickly made her way from the Construction Site, and finally came to a halt to catch her breath. After doing so, she glanced down at the cash she had in her hands. Despite the sigh, she tried to force herself to smile.

"Well, at least it's something." She said. "Hopefully this will help me buy a bit of food until I can find a better job... though I don't know where else I could work... or where else I could go." She then walked down the sidewalk, unaware of an over-sized sentinet fingerprint with a domino mask approaching her from behind.

"Hey, made you look." He said.

"Huh?" The girl asked, only for the fingerprint to rush by and snatch the money from her hands.

"Wh... HEY!" She called out. "I was gonna buy food with that!"

"Sorry, lady!" The thief, Sal Left Thumb called out. "But crime pays!" He let out a sinister cackle as he ran down the streets. Seeing him run with the money she earned made her slump down to her knees. She spent two hours cleaning those pipes, just to get that money. Now all that hard work was down the drain. Now she won't be able to buy food.

"What am I gonna do?" She asked, almost ready to tear up.

"Watch out!"

The girl turned her head, seeing a blue cat on a skateboard going too fast, right into her!

_-BUMP-_

The bump that would make one jump, made both of them tumble to the ground. The girl fell to her knees, while Gumball fell backwards and right on his poor face..

"Ooowww..." Gumball spoke, his voice breaking a bit from the pain he endured. "Oowww... that hurt so much." He got to his knees, and rubbed his face. The girl managed to pick herself up, looking back at the blue cat. Quite surprised that it was an anthropomorphic talking cat. Well, in this town she saw a lot of different people in different shapes and sizes, so she wasn't completely surprised.

"Oh, I'm so sorry." She said. "I didn't mean to make you fall."

"Oh, it's no worry." Gumball said as he got himself back up. "I didn't see where I was going-" Opening his eyes, he froze in place. Before him was this beautiful girl, about an inch taller than him. Despite the dirt marks that were on her face, and the bulge she had in her stomach, she was beautiful in his eyes. The blue cat only froze in place, trying to find words to speak.

"Whoa..." He spoke under his breath, trying to swallow the water filling in his mouth. "Uh... hi..." He gave a nervous smile.

"Um... hi." The girl responded back.

"I'm Gumball." He said, extending his hand forward for her to shake. Looking down at his hand, she cautiously grabbed it and shook it.

"Nice to meet you, Gumball..." She said as their hands shook up and down. Though the girl actually stopped shaking, Gumball was still shaking her hand. "Um, you can stop now..."

"Oh!" Gumball said, realizing that he shook her hand long enough. "Sorry... don't know what's over me. Say, are you alright?"

"Yeah... I'm fine." She said. But then, she just remembered the thumb guy stealing the money she earned. She dropped to the side of the sidewalk, crossed her arms and buried her head into them, giving a deep sigh.

"Is something wrong?" Gumball asked.

"Yes..." She spoke, though her arms were covering her mouth as she sat there.

"You uh... wanna talk about it?" Gumball asked as he sat next to her. The girl lifted her head up.

"Some jerk stole my money." She said.

"Oh." Gumball said. "I'm sorry."

"I just earned that money after scrubbing the pipes at the construction site." She said.

"Ewww." Gumball said. "Is that why you look all dirty?"

"Sort of." She said. "That was a total of two hours right down the drain. Now I can't buy anything to eat." The blue cat glanced at her, and then noticed that her stomach was a bit extended. How could she be hungry if she looks like she swallowed a soccer ball? But he kept that to himself, and decided to speak to cheer her up.

"Well, then your mom will probably fix you something to eat." Gumball said with a smile. The girl stared at the ground.

"My mother's dead." She said. The blue cat stared at her with a derp expression.

"Oh." He said, trying to think of something to say. "And your father?"

"Him too." She said. The blue cat took a deep breath. So much for trying to cheer her up.

"I am so sorry." He said, patting her shoulder.

"It's ok." She said.

"So... the orphanage doesn't have much food?" Gumball asked. She turned her head toward the cat. The look on her face gave him a definite answer, and it wasn't the food. "You don't live in an orphanage, do you?"

"No, I've been... living on the streets." She said. That only made Gumball look even more stupid.

"Man, I'm not good with words today." He said.

"Things were just starting to lighten up, but now... I don't know what to do." She said, covering her face into her arms. The blue cat couldn't help but feel sorry for her. Then realization came to his mind. He looked back at his backpack and reached inside. He pulled out a small bag containing his lunch.

"Here." Gumball said, handing her his lunch bag. The girl looked surprised by this gesture.

"Wh...What's this?" she asked.

"It's my lunch." Gumball said. "Tuna Sandwich with an apple in it. I was gonna have it for lunch at school, but I don't have to go anymore so, might as well let you have." The girl looked at him, then at the bag, then at the boy again.

"Wait... do I have to do anything?" She asked.

"No, I'm just being generous today." Gumball said. "It's ok, take it." The girl looked at the boy then slowly took the bag. Opening it up, she saw that it was a Tuna Sandwich and an apple, exactly as Gumball described.

"I-I don't know what to say." She said. "Thanks."

"It's no biggie." Gumball said. "Besides, a beautiful angel like you shouldn't starve to death." The girl's eyes widened after hearing that.

"What?" She asked.

"What?" Gumball asked.

"Did you call me beautiful angel?" She asked, making the cat realize what he said.

"NO!" He said. "I said, a magnificent dame like you- No I mean, goddess of innocence, no wait! I mean... BBfFFT..." He then slapped himself trying to get his words together. He then let out a defeated sigh.

"I'm sorry... just enjoy the sandwich, miss." He said as he got back onto his skateboard and began to rode down.

"Aelita."

The boy stopped and turned his head, looking back at the girl.

"Hmmm?" He asked.

"My name... My name is Aelita." She said.

"Aelita...?" Gumball spoke. "That's a beautiful name."

"It's nothing special." She said with a shy smile.

"Well, I hope I see you again, Aelita." Gumball said. "And don't worry, I'm sure things will turn out good for you!" He then took off on his skateboard, heading down the sidewalk. The girl watched and gave a hopeful smile. As he got far enough, the blue cat gave a defeated sigh. He was really happy to meet a new friend today, but something was still bringing him down.

"Wish I could say the same for me..." He said as he skated away.

* * *

**Well that's the end of this chapter, and the next one is being worked on as we speak. So Gumball made a friend, yet he hasn't realized that she will play an important role in this story.**

**Note: Gumball is around 14-15, and he's still the same Gumball as in the TAWoG, but he takes more on his Season 1 traits and is trying to be less of a trouble maker, while hit hard with depression. Think of him being voiced by Logan Grove today (who is probably 20 at this time).**

**It will be a while before our heroes come together. I can't give a specific number of chapters it will take, especially to introduce everyone. The first few chapters will focus on Gumball and his family. After that, I will be getting into the next phase of the story.**

**Also, this Author's Note that I give will share as much information as they can... and maybe some hints of what's to come.**


	2. Chapter 2: The Depression

**Author's Note: Here is the next chapter, featuring Gumball and his family, minus his mom. She's off at work doing her own thing. I also inserted a little trailer in the middle of this chapter too.**

**Anyway, enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

_**Chapter 02: The Depression**_

York Street was a very nice neighborhood. So nice that some would wonder why not many people like it so much. Usually because it's where Gumball and his family live. It's not that they're terrible people. They get into crazy antics that can sometimes effect the whole town, and make almost everyone hate them for it. But things have, shall we say, went quiet recently. A year prior, the town suffered a major attack by a strange mutant monster that attacked the town's cinemas and was quickly taken down.

Only one person died in the monster's path, and Gumball was a witness to the horrible scene. And since then, he's been in a very depressing state. And it was shown as he skateboarded slowly and steadily on the sidewalk with his hood up. After coming up to his house, he kicked the skateboard in his hands and just slumped forward to the house, which was a nice small blue house with the light orange roof.

On his way to the porch, next door at the much bigger purple house, and out front near the bushes was a puppet-like creature wearing brown pants and plaid slippers, a fancy blue blaver, red striped tie and white shirt underneath, his body shaped like a slightly rounded cylinder. He stands a couple inches above Gumball. Grey-blue fuzz covered the old man's body, except his large protruding pink nose.

Gumball's next door neighbor, Mr. Gaylord Robinson, was using his hedge clippers to get rid of the weeds and overgrown branches that would stick out of his bush, while grumbling rudely under his breath. He'd always have a grumpy attitude, being uptight and caring about nothing but status and money. The only thing he likes to do is fly in a raging stupor and argue with his wife Margaret, who is far worse than him.

"Hey, Mr. Robinson." Gumball spoke, startling the old man and almost making him cut off his own tie.

"Oh, it's just you." Mr. Robinson said, unamused and annoyed. "I thought you were placed in Summer School or something..."

"No." Gumball said. "Passed my exams, teachers got arrested."

"So, I guess you're gonna celebrate and destroy your house again?" Mr. Robinson asked, giving a laugh jokingly.

"No." Gumball answered. "I'm just gonna do nothing today." The blue cat depressingly opened the door to his house and just slumped inside, while Mr. Robinson looked on, and surprisingly, he was a bit surprised... and concerned. His whole time living next door to the Wattersons, Mr. Robinson always despised them, especially Gumball, though the latter loves to help him out, which is surprising. But when Gumball fell into depression, the mean old man would've been overjoyed. But he wasn't though. Come to think of it, he was actually missing the little blue guy causing mayhem and what not. Taking a sigh, Mr. Robinson continued with his own business, cutting away the branch hat was sticking out of the bush.

Back inside the Watterson's home, Gumball closed the door behind him and placed his backpack and skateboard to the side.

"Hello everybody, I'm home-" Gumball spoke. He froze in place, seeing something that was so startling to see.

"OOOH! Oh! Oh! OOOH!" Those sounds were coming from the massive pink rabbit in the middle of the living room, dancing to the TV. He was wearing nothing but his underwear, but that wasn't what was startling. What was very startling was the rabbit's breasts dropping up and down everytime he moved and jiggled his body. It's probably because he was overweight and chubby.

That's Richard Watterson, who many would describe as a man child... or a Chubby Peter Pan, without the tights. But yet despite his severe lack of intelligence and maturity, his intentions are good and he loves his family. As he turned, he saw his son, still in a state of shock.

"Oh, hey son!" The rabbit spoke.

"Dad, what are you dancing to?" Gumball asked.

"Just a workout video." Richard said, pointing at the tv, which was showing a bunch of pregnant woman working out.

"And you're working out while watching a workout video only for pregnant woman?" Gumball asked.

"Hey, it worked for the Ice Bear on that Bear TV show." Richard answered as he continued.

"Gumball!" A happy squeaky voice called from the kitchen area. Coming into the room was an orange goldfish. Yes, a goldfish, with arms and legs! His goldfish-shaped body takes up his entire body, with his fins and legs hanging down from it, and his fish tail and fins stick at the end and behind of his body. His legs are much longer than his body, ending with plain feet. But he actually wears green sneakers with yellow-ish white marks and stripes, which was the only wearable clothes he wore. But on his head backwards or sideways was a green cap with a black stripe in the middle.

This was Darwin. Darwin Raglan Caspian Ahab Poseidon Nicodemius Watterson III. But he's just called Darwin. He used to be Gumball's pet ten years ago, until one day when he was accidently flushed down the toilet, he managed to evolve rapidly, growing lungs, and legs, to live outside of water, thanks to the power of Gumball's brotherly love. Since then, Gumball and his family adopted the fish with legs, and made him an official Watterson.

Darwin is always a happy and very positive person, and tries to see te best in most of the scenarios he's in, while also trying to make others happy. Despite being grateful and very honest, he is not very smart, and can be prone to doing dumb things. Speaking of happy, he was very happy to see Gumball come home sooner than expected.

"Hey, welcome back, dude!" Darwin said as he gave his cat brother a hug.

"Hey buddy..." Gumball said, giving him a pat on the back, though he couldn't smile.

"So, how was the S.U.M.M.E.R. S.C-" Darwin said.

"Summer School?" a voice called from up the stairs. Turning his head they saw a small pink bunny with a white tail and black eyes, a little thick tuff of hair on the top of her forehead, and she wore a orange dress with a white trim and white socks with black shoes. She also had cute little buck teeth, much like her father. But she had a more feminine appearance.

This was Anais Watterson, Gumball's six year-old sister. Despite her young age, she is the most intelligent member in the family, with a very high IQ. She actually learned to speak a proper sentence when she was born. She's pretty much the smartest one in the family, though she does have some temper issues like her mother, social awkwardness, having no friends, and she still possesses some infantile tendencies, especially since she's six years old.

"Do you really have to spell instead of just saying it." She asked.

"I didn't want to lower his spirits." Darwin said.

"It's ok, Darwin." Gumball said. "I actually don't have to go to Summer School anymore."

"You don't?" Darwin and Anais asked.

"Yeah." Gumball said with a weak smile. "Turned out me and everybody else didn't fail our exams. It was either rigged or someone made an error with the test scores. Plus, Miss Simian, Principle Brown, and all the teachers got arrested. Guess crime doesn't pay after all."

"That's awesome!" Darwin said. "This is gonna be the best summer ever! Let's celebrate by playing video games!" The blue cat then glanced at the floor.

"Sorry man, but I'm not in the mood for video games right now." Gumball said. "To be honest, I just don't wanna do anything."

"What?!" Darwin asked. "But it's summer! The best time of the year where we can do whatever we want, and not have to go to school!"

"I know, but I'm just not... up to it, you know?" Gumball said.

"Well, it's better than you guys destroying the house and what not." Anais said. But the boys noticed their sister was chewing something in her mouth.

"What are you eating?" Darwin asked.

"I'm not eating anything." Anais said, though she continued to chew.

"Then, what are you chewing on?" Gumball asked.

"This." Anais answered, then suddenly, she blew out a pink bubble from her mouth. With enough air, it popped, leaving some pink sticky stuff on her lips, but she licked up and continued chewing it.

"You're chewing gum?" Darwin asked. "Since when did you start doing that?"

"Uh... since I learned to eat, stupid." Anais said. The fish gasped as he heard the bunny call him stupid, but then he froze, trying to process the word stupid.

"Well, since is getting nowhere, I'm just gonna go upstairs and sleep." Gumball said as he made his way toward the stairs.

"But we should do something." Darwin said, stopping his brother. "Besides, it's Mom's birthday today." Hearing that made Richard perk up.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Richard said as he rushed up the stairs. Within a couple of seconds, he came back down, with clothes on this time. Despite being unemployed, his attire looked like he was dressed for work, with his uniform consisting of a long sleeved buttoned-up white tanish polo shirt, light brown pants, and a dark grey two dollar clip on tie. Like Gumball and Nicole, he didn't wear any shoes or socks.

"Wow, you actually managed to get changed so quickly." Gumball said.

"Thank you, son." Richard said, only for his pants to fall down to the ground, showing his underwear. As he quickly pulled them back up, Anais and Darwin couldn't help but chuckle at this misfortune. "So, have all of you gotten your mom a birthday gift?"

"I sure have." Anais said, revealing a nice small wrapped up present, with a red ribbon on the top.

"Ok, and did you boys get something for your mom?" Richard asked.

"Well, actually, we've decided to get Mrs. Mom some beautiful flowers." Darwin said. "We were suppose to go out and pick some yesterday to find something for her, but Gumball was too depressed to go out. But I guess we can go today and pick some."

"Wait, did you get mom something for her birthday?" Gumball asked. "Please tell me that you haven't forgotten."

"Oh, don't worry, son." Richard said. "I didn't forget this time. In fact, I got your mother something very special."

"Where is it?" Anais asked.

"At the Adult Store." Richard said.

"The Adult Store?" Anais asked. "You mean the place where they make those movies with naked people?"

"Yep." Richard said. "I paid an artist down there to paint a beautiful picture of your mother, and she's gonna love it!"

"Wait... shouldn't you go pick it up?" Gumball asked. The tall rabbit looked at his kids, then blinked a couple times.

"AHHHHHH!" He screamed in horror. "Oh No! I'm suppose to pick it up! And I only have until tonight to get it until she gets back! What am I gonna do? What am I gonna do?!" The massive rabbit began to freak out, trying to figure out what to do. The little bunny only rolled her eyes.

"Why don't you just go pick it up?" Anais asked.

"YES!" Richard shouted. "No, wait, I can't. I have to look after you."

"Dad, I can look after myself." Anais said. "Besides, I'm smart enough to take care of myself."

"Yes, but you're only six years old." Richard said. "Therefore, you're not old enough to be alone in the house." The pink bunny only rolled her eyes. With her being the youngest in the family, hardly anyone takes her seriously and treats her like a cute little girl. It has it's advantages, especially when Halloween comes along, but it does have it's disadvantages too.

"Then just take me with you." Anais said.

"Oh, I can't do that either." Richard said. "The adult store is a place that is not for little girls like you sweetie. If I went in there with you, I'd get arrested. But how am I gonna get your mom her gift?"

"How about you get it and leave these two to watch me instead." Anais answered, pointing at Gumball and Darwin.

"Good thought, but no way." Richard said. "You remember the last time we had the boys look after you? You flooded the entire house." Anais raised an eyebrow.

"Hey that wasn't my fault." Anais said. "Mom was the one who put these two in charge, and you couldn't find a proper babysitter."

"Well that wasn't my fault." Richard said. "It was the internet's fault. Now enough with the arguing. How am I gonna get your mom's gift?" The rabbit began thinking. But then an idea came to his head. He glanced at Gumball and Darwin.

"Hey, guys!" Richard said. "You don't have to watch your sister, and you're both teenagers now!" He pulled out a card with his picture and name on it from his pocket. "Here's my membership card! Go get your mom my gift!"

"But where's the store?" Darwin asked.

"Just on the other side of town." Richard said. "When you go inside, ask for Touhou. He's the one who did the portrait of your mother. Just talk with him, tell him that I sent you, and he'll give you the picture."

"But aren't only adults allowed in those places?" Darwin asked.

"Yeah, but you're teenagers now, and you look like adults, so you'll get away with it." Richard said.

"Wait a second, why do you have a membership at an adult store?" Anais asked.

"Well, your mom and I have been trying to reignite the spark in our romance lately, so I rented some DVDs from that place to see how I can impress her with love making." Richard said.

"You do realize that you're talking to a six year-old right?" Anais asked.

"Yes I do, but like you said, you have a high IQ, making your brain that of a university student." Richard said. "Now enough talk, we're wasting time. Gumball and Darwin, I grant thee permission to go to the adult store and get my gift for your mother. Oh, and be sure to get something for your mom too. She would really appreciate it."

"YAY, Adventure!" Darwin cheered.

"No." Gumball said. The fish with legs turned to his brother.

"What?!" Darwin asked. "Dude, we get to go on an adventure!"

"It's not an adventure Darwin." Gumball said. "Dad just wants us to go pick something up from a store. Now if you'll all excuse me, I'm gonna go upstairs and lay in my bed in misery." With that said, the blue cat slumped up the stairs, went into his room, closing the door behind, as Darwin, Anais, and Richard watched. The fish with legs didn't like seeing Gumball like this. And seeing him like this for the past year was killing him. He then headed up the steps and leaned into his room, seeing Gumball laying down on the bottom level of the bunk bed. He just laid there, with the covers over him. The poor blue cat only showed a joyless face, and sad fish dead eyes.

"Gumball... are you ok?" Darwin asked.

"I'm not getting up." Gumball said.

"You can't stay in bed forever." Darwin said.

"Yes I can... at least until mom gets home." Gumball said.

"Come on dude, get out of that bed." Darwin said, showing his sad fish eyes.

"No." Gumball said.

"Dude, it's already been a year and you haven't gotten your mind off of her?" Darwin asked. "Gumball, you have to get over her."

"I just can't, Darwin." Gumball said. "Penny was my whole world. But now..." He just dug his head into his pillow.

"Awww Gumball, can you at least try?" Darwin asked.

"No." Gumball said. "I just want to lay in this bed until I die." The fish only gave a stern and annoyed stare.

"Ok... that's it." Darwin said. "I've had it up to here." With his fish arms, he grabbed Gumball by the tail, pulled him out of bed and across the floor, making the blue cat scream in surprise.

"Dude, what the what?!" He asked.

"We're leaving, that's what!" Darwin said as he pulled on his brother's tail, while the blue cat tried to prevent himself from leaving, digging his claws into the fabric of the floor. But it wasn't enough, as the fish managed to get him to the steps.

"NOOO!" Gumball shouted as he was pulled down the stairs, with Darwin managing to get halfway down the steps. "RELEASE ME! I DON'T WANT TO GO!"

"We have to!" Darwin shouted, managing to pull Gumball off the stair ledge. "Otherwise Mrs. Mom is gonna kick Mr. Dad's butt! And our butts too if we don't get her flowers!"

"LET ME GO!" Gumball shouted.

"Stop acting like a child and be more of an adult!" Darwin shouted, his arm grabbing the door, while trying to prevent Gumball from getting away.

"I'M NOT AN ADULT!" Gumball shouted. "I'M A TEENAGER!"

"Dude, you can't stay holed up in the house all summer!" Darwin shouted. "You're going outside, we're getting Mr. Dad's gift to Mrs. Mom, we're gonna get her some flowers, and, we're gonna be happy and cheery, whether you like it or NOT!" With one final pull, he pulled the door open, and pushed Gumball outside. As the blue cat landed on the porch, he quickly screamed as the sun shined down on him, as if it was burning him alive.

"AHHH! THE SUN!" He shouted, trying to cover his face with his hands. "IT BUUURNS!"

"It's not even that sunny out." Darwin said, and he was right. It was partly cloudy, and the sun would hide behind the clouds as they passed by. Gumball quickly pulled his hood over his head, trying to block the sun.

"Please take me back inside!" He whimpered.

"C'mon, we're leaving." Darwin said. As he spoke, he grabbed Gumball's tail and pulled him, making the blue cat fall on his face moaning and get dragged across the floor and onto the sidewalk.

"Have fun boys!" Richard called out. "And don't come back until you get that gift!"

* * *

It has been a while since Gumball and Darwin has been going across town to get their mom's birthday present from their father. Surprisingly it has been a couple of hours. Probably because they were moving at a slow pace. The fish with legs managed to get the blue cat to walk without throwing a fit. Normally, the two would just walk without moving their arms. But today, has it has been for the past year, Gumball was just walking with his head hung down, his face still sad. Kicking whatever would come to contact with his feet, even some food character that was flung by the blue cat's foot. Darwin was minding his own business. Crossing the way to the store, he saw flowers on the ground, fresh flowers. He began to pick a handful up, grabbed a clean unread newspaper and began to wrap the flowers up into a bouquet.

"Flowers are definitely a good gift to show someone that they're loved." Darwin said. "Say Gumball, do you want me to make a bouquet for you so we'll both give her flowers?" Gumball only let out a sigh.

"I don't know." Gumball said. "I said that I don't feel like doing anything."

"Aw, come on, dude." Darwin said. "You know what you need to do is to go to your happy place."

"I don't have a happy place." Gumball said.

"But didn't you find your happy place after I helped you forget about kissing Granny Jojo?" Darwin asked.

"No, I-wait, what?!" Gumball asked, turning his head back at the fish. "I kissed Granny Jojo?!" Darwin quickly covered his mouth, realizing what he just said. Two years ago, while they're parents were away, their Granny Jojo, Richard's mother, stayed for the weekend while they were away, and she inadvertently kissed Gumball on the lips while trying to kiss his cheek. Gumball was sent into a spiral until Darwin decided to help Gumball forget about it by making him go through the worst horrific things imaginable, and one of them was getting stuck between the giant Hector's toes. And it was nasty. Since then, Gumball forgot about the kiss and was back to normal. But now...

"Well, actually it was her who kissed you accidently." Darwin said.

"Please tell me it was not on the lips." Gumball said. The fish with legs looked hesitant. Gumball didn't know that it was a lippy kiss. If he told him, Gumball would flip out.

"Uhhhh… no, it wasn't." Darwin fibbed, showing a nervous smile.

"Oh thank goodness." Gumball said, and the two continued walking down the sidewalk. Gumball still was depressed and Darwin was looking around. But as he turned his head toward the glass wall window of Lazer Video, his eyes widened with awe, and a smile was drawn on his face.

"Dude, I know what will cheer you up!" Darwin said.

"What's that?" Gumball asked, only to have him be pulled from the ground and toward the window, to a TV screen being displayed.

"Watch..." He said, and the two saw what was a trailer for a game that has been recently released, but has been in hype for ages.

* * *

**This product is rated T for Teen.**

_WARNER DUDES ANIMATION_

_SQUARE BOX_

_with associations with Hanna-Bandana Productions_

_...and Hashro_

_**Our multiverse... is under attack**_

_The scene moves quickly through the empty streets of Auroria City, then switches to the sky going black, with monsters jumping out onto the city areas, with many creatures, humans, ponies, dragons, and several other creature civilians running for their lives. However, the monsters are quickly dispatched by a mysterious orange-haired guy wearing a black hooded jacket with a white shirt and thin shackle pants and jet black boots. He is seen running through the streets and running up the building, after slashing through one of the monsters multiple times._

_**The Light is fading!**_

_A young girl about the boy's height, an anthromorphic unicorn wearing a special scholar dress, watches into the sky, as the stars begin to fade out one by one._

_**Darkness is Rising!**_

_The monsters rise up from the ground, attacking citizens and capturing innoncent children._

_**Only One Hero... can take back the Light!**_

_The hero, Jadyn Caelus, stood to see the city from the rooftops._

_"Alright... let's light this candle." He said, summoning his special powerful weapon, the Keysword!_

_**Friends will Unite!**_

_The next scene shows a muscular dragon with just a jacket one, who turns around to breath fire on a massive four-legged insectoid. After breathing fire and burning the lower part, the dragon raises his greatsword and swings down on the beast._

_The next scene shows a small blue colored cat sporting a pair of hightech goggles, a sleeveless shirt and baggy pants, giving a smile to the viewer and draws out two guns, firing bullets upon the thin dangling pair of monsters._

_The next scene shows a man with his hair over his eyes, wearing a white fedora and japanese styled kimono with long pants and black shoes. He pulls out his samurai sword and brings a mightly slash upon the smaller enemies around him._

_**Enemies shall gather!**_

_A shadowy cloaked figure enters the battle, blasting away all the soldiers that were trying to stop him._

_Several Kaijin monsters begin to perform a ritual, where the unicorn princess' brother is dangling from the ceiling, while his bride is strapped into the ground, unable to break free from her prison._

_Sitting at the throne, is a wicked bald man with long pointy ears, and a long beard that went down his chin. He, the villain, rose up and grabbed his sword, preparing to strike down his next victim._

_**The battle between dusk and dawn will reach it's epic conclusion!**_

_The boy dashes through the cyclone of enemies, trying to reach the unicorn princess. Their hands almost reach, but a massive monster leaps in and grabs her._

_**For Life and Light, together we FIGHT!**_

_The last scene shows the four main characters, preparing to face off against the evil wicked wizard and his army of many iconic villains from thebrands of Warner Dudes Animations, DC Books, Hanna-Barbera, and Hashro. Then, many heroes and allies from the same brand gather behind the four, ready to stand with them to fight against the evil forces._

_"Let the Twilight War Begin!"_

_Both sides charge toward each other, as the four main heroes leap up, and Jadyn Caelus swings his Keysword!_

_**DOMINION CORE III**_

_available now...!_

_FINAL MAX MIX DLC Coming This Winter!_

* * *

The two boys watched as the screen displayed the words "available now".

"Wow... it's been five months since that game came out, and I still get chills down my spine watching and playing it...!" Darwin said, eyes sparkling. "And the DLC expansion coming this winter... ooooooeeeeeeeeee!" A sigh came from his right, where Gumball only lowered his head.

"Yeah, but it's not enough to heal my depression dude..." Gumball said.

"Hey Gumball, Darwin!" a voice came from the back. Turning their heads they saw a walking banana with a clay mouth, long skinny black arms and legs, and googly eyes. Next to him was a multi-colored fluffy cloud-like humanoid with three fingers on each hand, orange at the bottom, blue at the top, with a headband on his forehead, and red and white shoes. Banana Joe and Tobias, who are sometimes either Gumball and Darwin's friends, or rivals, depending on what situation they are in.

"Hey guys, whassup?" Tobias asked.

"Oh hey guys!" Darwin called out happily as he and Gumball approached them.

"Hey..." Gumball said with his head lowered down.

"Dude, what's up with Gumball?" Banana Joe asked.

"I don't wanna talk about it." Gumball said.

"He's still... depressed." Darwin said.

"Dude, I said I don't want to talk about it...!" The blue cat hissed.

"Oh, he's still broken up over Penny?" Banana Joe asked. "Yeah, we know."

"Hey if it makes him feel better, I miss her too." Tobias said. "She's such a sexy woman."

"Dude, that's Gumball's girlfriend, remember?" Banana Joe asked.

"Yeah, but she's still hot." Tobias said. Gumball could only give a moan of sorrow as he heard the girl's name.

"And this is why I don't have a girlfriend." Banana Joe said. "They love you, but one day you lose her, ripping your heart to pieces. Pals Before Gals!"

"And that's why we don't bring you two along when we go on dates..." Darwin said.

"Nobody's helping me right now." Gumball said.

"Aww c'mon dude." Banana Joe said. "You gotta let her go... you know, _Let it go, let it go_-"

"Dude!" Tobias shouted as he covered the banana's mouth closed. "Don't sing that song."

"Why?" Banana Joe asked. "Is it because that song is completely overrated? I actually like it."

"No, it's because we'll probably get a copyright strike or something." Tobias said.

"Wait, how do we get a copyright strike when we're just singing the song?" Banana Joe asked.

"Because, that crappy Joey Exam show got sued by the company who made that song for using their song, and they got jail time for it!" Tobias said. "I don't wanna go to jail, especially you!"

"But dude, this isn't a TV show, this is real life." Banana Joe said. The cloud-boy began to think for a second.

"Oh... I guess that makes some sense." Tobias said. Gumball and Darwin just watched them speak, not knowing what they are talking about.

"Ok, this is getting a bit irrelevant..." Darwin said. Gumball only sighed and sat down on the seat behind him.

"Hey Gumball, you know what you need?" Tobias asked. "You need to go out more, and live the moments."

"I don't know guys." Gumball said.

"Yeah, you guys should hang out with us this weekend!" Banana Joe said. "We're going camping."

"Camping?" Darwin asked. "Why are you guys going camping?"

"Because it's summer." Banana Joe said. "Plus, our parents want us to get outside more. We found this really neat fishing spot last year, and it was the best."

"Yeah... a really great spot..." Tobias said, beginning to reminicing the time when he and Banana Joe found the perfect camping spot.

_It was a beautiful summer day out near the lake, where lots and lots of fish would come out and swim, making it a great place for fishing. Sitting next to the fireplace was Banana Joe, and he was roasting a marshmallow._

_"Hey dude!" Tobias called out, getting the banana's attention. "You feel cold?" Banana Joe was a bit confused when he asked that._

_"No, my banana peel is on." He said._

_"Oh, right." Tobias said. "Ok..." he then moved his head back into the Tent, getting ready to go to sleep. Seeing there was something wrong with him, Banana Joe got up from the bark he was sitting on and went into the tent, seeing Tobias resting his head in his sleeping bag._

_"You feel alright?" Banana Joe asked._

_"Yeah." Tobias said. "I'm fine."_

_"You don't look fine to me." Banana Joe said._

_"I don't wanna talk about it." Tobias said._

_"Hey, you can tell me." Banana Joe said as he sat next to him. "I won't hold it against you."_

_"I don't know dude." Tobias said. "I really just don't know how to say it." The banana glanced closely at the cloud boy and realized what was going on._

_"Oh my goodness." Banana Joe said. "You've fallen in love, have you." Tobias only gave a defeated groan._

_"Yeah, I've fallen in love." Tobias said._

_"Oh." Banana Joe said. "Well, that's cool. Who's the lucky girl?"_

_"It's not with a girl." Tobias said. "It's... it's..."_

_"It's with what?" Banana Joe asked. "A dog? A cat? A bird?" The boy only gave a sigh._

_"It's a dude." Tobias said. Hearing that made a connection inside the banana'shead._

_"You're in love with a guy?" Banana Joe asked. The rainbow lad lowered his head._

_"Yeah... I'm gay." He said with shame. The banana stared at him for a couple of seconds._

_"Really?" Banana Joe asked. "Since when did that happen?"_

_"I don't know." Tobias said. "I always had a thing with the ladies you know, well actually, they would always turn me down. But then last year, I started seeing this awesome guy in a whole new light and... well, the rest you know."_

_"Ooooh, that makes sense." Banana Joe said. "Hey, it's alright if you're gay. I don't have a problem with it."_

_"You don't?" Tobias asked._

_"No man." Banana Joe said. "It's normal to feel that way. You're exploring past the boundaries of your feelings and stuff. I don't think any less of you."_

_"Really?" Tobias asked, feeling his confidence coming back. "Thanks man."_

_"No problem." Banana Joe said. "So, who's the lucky guy?" The multi-colored fluff cloud then frowned, deflating once more._

_"I don't wanna say." Tobias said._

_"Awww, it's ok man, I won't tell anyone." Banana Joe said._

_"Nah, you wouldn't like it." Tobias said as he turned his body, facing away the banana._

_"Oh, ok." Banana Joe said as he turned around, facing the other way. "But just to let you know man, I'm cool with whoever you like." Giving him a friendly pat on the head, the Banana made his way to go back outside. Tobias turned, the eyes stared toward Banana Joe. Seeing the banana walk away made him feel sad. He didn't want him to leave._

_"It's you, man." Tobias said, making the banana turn around._

_"What?" Banana Joe asked _

_"It's you!" Tobias shouted. "The guy I'm in love with is you!" The banana's eyes widened with surprise._

_"Me?" He asked, with the rainbow colored cloud giving a heavy sigh._

_"Yeah..." Tobias said in defeat. "I don't know why, but when I'm around you, I feel... all lovey dovey inside. I mean, I never felt this way in the beginning, but all the times you and I hung out and stuff, it's like, we formed a connection, you know?" Banana Joe stood there, staring at him blankly. Seeing this made Tobias lower his head in shame, believing that this was a bad sign._

_"Forget it, man." Tobias said as he turned away and curled up in sorrow. Banana Joe just stood there in surprise. The person Tobias had fallen for was him! He approached him, placing a hand on his shoulder. Tobias looked back at him, only to see Banana Joe smile._

_"Dude, all you had to do was tell me." Banana Joe said. Tobias's eyes opened more in surprise._

_"Wh... wait, you're not creeped out or anything?" Tobias asked._

_"No, man." Banana Joe said. "In fact, I've always felt that way toward you for a while now." Tobias' eyes widened even more. Banana Joe felt the same way toward him. A smile formed on his face._

_"Really?" Tobias asked._

_"Uh-huh." Banana Joe said with a nod. The two stared at each other, both their hands in each other's._

_"Dude, you have no idea how happy you've made me." Tobias said._

_"And that's what I want." Banana Joe said. "I want you to be happy, and I wanna be happy with you."_

_"So... what do we do now?" Tobias asked._

_"Uhhh… make out?" Banana Joe asked._

_"Definitely." Tobias said as he and Banana Joe twirled together, leaning forward, with their lips ready to touch each other's._

Gumball stood there, shocked completely, hearing Tobias telling them the whole story. Darwin tilted his head, very confused, and Banana Joe just sat there, blushing. Tobias only stared at Banana Joe affectionately.

"Uh... yeah." Banana Joe said. "We caught a lot of fish."

"And I suppose you eat the fish, right?" Darwin asked, feeling a bit uneasy.

"Hey, it's not any of your species, dude." Banana Joe said. "Plus, we sprinkle fruits on them to make 'em taste good.

"Yeah..." Tobias said, still staring at Banana Joe, and soon moved his nose to the little guy and sniffed.

"Mmmm... Banana." Tobias said.

"Ummmm... Gumball, does Tobias act a little off today?" Darwin asked, only for his mouth to be zipped up by the blue cat.

"You know what, we're just gonna go." Gumball said as he picked up Darwin and got up from his seat. "See ya!" And just like that, the two bolted to the door.

"Guys wait, this ain't gonna change anything right?" Banana Joe asked. "I mean Pals Before Gal-" He was then interrupted when Tobias began to peck his cheek.

"You're so amazing, man..." Tobias said as he was about to lick his cheek again, only for the banana to slap him in the face. "OW!"

"Dude, Who Does That?!" Banana Joe asked. "What part of not out of the closet do you not understand? We agreed not to come out of the closet until school started up again!"

"I'm sorry, I'm going through a very emotional breakdown!" Tobias said as tears began to seep out of his eyes. "I just can't stay in any longer!" The multi-colored cloud began to weep, feeling shame.

"Awww it's ok, buddy." Banana Joe said as he hugged his buddy. "It'll be alright. I still love you."

"Awww, I love you too man." Tobias said, feeling comfort as he embraced his banana friend.

"So, you wanna make out at my place?" Banana Joe asked.

"I would love that." Tobias said.

* * *

Back outside, the Watterson boys continued their way down the street, making their way to the park. According to the pedestrians, the Adult Store was not from where they were now. The day was almost over as the sun was almost reaching the horizon. That long slow walk really took them hours.

"Well, we're almost there." Darwin said. "We should be able to get back home before Mom if we run."

"I don't feel like running man." Gumball said, still slumping with his head staring at the ground.

"Awww, come on buddy." Darwin said. "It's not that far."

"It's not that it's far away, man." Gumball said. "It's just... everything."

"Awww, c'mon dude." Darwin said. "Why can't you just get over Penny?"

"Because, it was my fault." Gumball said. "I lost her, that's what..."

"No, dude, you didn't lose her." Darwin said. "She's-"

"NO!" Gumball shouted, showing tears in his eyes. "Please... don't talk about it..." He then turned away and just knelt down on the floor, trying to prevent himself from crying. He took a couple of deep breaths quickly, trying to get a hold of himself.

"Come on man, you need to stop thinking about it." Darwin said. "Try focusing on something else instead. Like over their for example." The fish pointed forward, showing Gumball that was present in the park. They saw a couple of kids sliding down the slides, spinning on the merry-go-round, and even teenagers hanging out, talking, chatting, and making out. There were a couple of birds flying around and singing, and cute little squirrels were collecting acorns for food.

"Now does this look very peaceful and distracting?" Darwin asked, but heard no response. "Dude?" Turning his head, he saw Gumball walking away from him, walking straight into the cemetery. Darwin gasped silently, knowing why Gumball was going there.

"Uh oh..." He thought to himself, and followed the blue cat down the into the cemetery, where many people who die would be laid to rest here. Why would Gumball come to a place like this? Darwin knew why, which was why he made haste to find him. As the fish came to a stop, he saw the blue cat on his knees, looking at one of the tombstones. Taking a look for himself, Darwin saw who's grave it was. The words said so itself.

**HERE LIES PENNY FITZGERALD**

**A GOOD AND WONDERFUL FRIEND**

**Gone, but Not forgotten.**

So for those who couldn't on, Gumball didn't go through a massive break up with Penny. She didn't leave town. She didn't move away. She was dead.

"Oooohhh..." Darwin said.

"Why did she have to die, Darwin?" Gumball asked.

"I dunno." Darwin said, petting his brother's head.

"It should've been me..." He said, surprising Darwin.

"Hey, don't say that!" Darwin said. "Don't even think that."

"Her dad was right... it should've been me." Gumball said, tears starting to form his eyes, getting ready to cry. "I should've been killed, not her-"

"Dude, stop it!" Darwin said as he grabbed Gumball the sweater. "Don't believe that! Don't think about what her dumb pops said! What happened to her was not your fault! She wouldn't want you to die, either! You gotta move on from this! You gotta let her go!" The blue cat glanced at his fish brother. But instead of finding courage, tears of sadness began to drop from his eyes.

"I can't, Darwin." Gumball said, wiping his tears away. "I just can't."

"Why not?" Darwin asked.

"I'm not ready to let go..." He choked, and hugged his brother tightly, and continued to cry. The fish knelt there, and stroked the boy's head, comforting his brother.

"There, there, it's ok.." Darwin said. "It's going to be ok." The two just remained there, and the fish continued to comfort his brother. Though it's probably going to take a lot more than some comfort to heal Gumball's shattered heart.

* * *

**Welp, this chapter is done.**

**Oh, and about that little trailer thing. Dominion Core is pretty much a parady of Kingdom Hearts III, taking elements of Final Fantasy VII and XV, taking in the universes of Square Box (Square-Enix), Warner Dudes (Warner Bros.), Hanna-Bandana (Hanna-Barbara), and Hashro (Hasbro). Featuring my own OC Jadyn Caelus.**

**The trailer is inspired by the little Verum Rex video at the very start of the Toy Box world in Kingdom Hearts III.  
Not gonna lie, that trailer looked so good that maybe Tetsuya Nomura might make it a real thing. If Nomura wants to make Verum Rex an actual game, I'd be up for it.**

**And to clear things up, those who thinks it's a version of Versus XIII, Nomura clarified that it isn't. It just uses concepts that were not in the final version of FFXV.  
If Nomura wants to make Verum Rex an actual game, I'd be up for it.  
**

**Oh, I'm aware that Nicole's birthday is on October 12th, but this story began production Summer 2018, and the Web just aired recently so we didn't know the official birthday at the time, so yes.**

**Oh, and the camp scene with Tobias and Banana Joe, that was based off the campfire scene from Scary Movie 4, where CJ and Mahalik spoof Brokeback Mountain. It was originally gonna have the two sing, but not wanting to face copyright flags, I took it out at the last minute and just went with dialogue.**

**So anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! The next one will come sooner than you think!**


	3. Chapter 3: Aelita

**Ok, here's the next chapter. I said it was gonna be sooner than you think! A little warning, it's gonna have attempted assault.**

**But in any case, enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

_**Chapter 03: Aelita**_

Some time later, the sun was just lowering down the horizon, where the day has turned into night. The sky was clear, so the moon and the stars were sparkling down upon the town of Elmore. It was quite peaceful, and it can be dangerous. Unfortunately for Aelita, the pink haired girl that Gumball met eariler in the day, she had to walk the streets. It has been a long day, and it was a hot one too. If anyone saw this girl out on her own at night, they would think, where is she going? And where is her home? Turning to her right, she went to the one place that nobody would want to go to.

The Junkyard. It is pretty much the city's dump, where citizens would dispose most of their broken tools, vehicles, or anything that wouldn't need anymore. All this stuff that could be savaged and reused, just left here. It's sad, really.

This was the only place for Aelita to stay at, so might as well make a bit of a living here. Making her way toward the deeper part of the yard, she came across an old mattress on the ground. It was the only one in the entire area, and the only thing to sleep on. She sat down upon it, and pulled out a bag. The same bag that Gumball gave her eariler. She pulled out it's contents. The sandwich was first, then the apple. Taking a bite out the tuna sandwich, she just sat there, eating the food that was in the bag. She was actually a bit relieved that the blue cat boy gave her his lunch. That was probably the first and only time anyone had been generous to her, without anything to give to them in exchange.

Not much is known about Aelita Stones, except what not many people know, she was originally a student at Kadic Academy, a boarding school for students from other countries. But in truth, which only a handful of people know, she was the daughter of a mysterious scientist named Professor Franz Hopper, who used to be part of a secret military project consisted of many scientists worldwide known as Project Carthage, that is until he left the project after learning of the group's dangerous motives. She wasn't aware of this at first, until she befriended four friends; Jeremie Belpois, Odd Della Robbia, Ulrich Stern, and Yumi Ishiyama, who brought her back to Earth after spending nine years dormant in a Super Computer. Since then, the five friends fought against a multi-agent program known as XANA from destroying humanity. They were successful, but at a great cost.

She tried to move on, but sometimes, the things we cherish the most are always taken from us. Nine months ago, a terrible accident occurred, which caused the school to be destroyed, and the lives of everyone, students, teachers, were taken as a result, except one. And that one was Aelita. Since then she had been through a lot, and spent most of her life on the streets, and being on the streets can be dangerous for someone like her. And with her being a girl, it's even more dangerous.

As she laid down on the mattress, she laid her hands across her stomach, touching the surface of her stretched bump.

How could this happen to her? she thought. All she wanted was to have a normal life. To be part of a family again. But now, she has nothing left. Not her mother, not her father, nor her friends. She looked up at the sky, seeing the stars. Her hand reached out up towards it.

"Jeremie... I hope you're up there... I'm sorry for what happened to you. To all of you." Dropping her hand onto the mattress, she couldn't help but shed a couple of tears. She rolled over to her side, and tried to go to sleep. But the sad memories and the feeling in her stomach was unable to let her do so.

Suddenly, she felt warmth around her, making her feel hot. But suddenly, as she took a sniff, she covered her nose, realizing that it smelled bad.

"Where did that come from?" Aelita asked. "Why does it suddenly smell bad... and feel hot?" After seconds of processing, she realized with shrunken pupils in her eyes that something was breathing on her, and the shadow covering her own was also more proof. Turning her head around, she saw what was looking down upon her. To her shock, and horror, it was a large and extremely fearsome Tyrannosaurus Rex. No, really, it was a real T-Rex, covered in thick brownish-gray scales from head to tail. She had a huge mouth full of enormous white carnivore teeth and very noticible halitosis. Everyone at Elmore Junior High would know that this was Tina Rex, the fearsome bully of the school who got held back two grades, and friends with Jamie, a fellow bully in crime.

The massive T-Rex looked down upon Aelita, giving a menacing look.

"What are you doing here in my home?" The T-rex asked. "And why are you sleeping near my bed?"

"Uh... sorry... I didn't know that... this was your bed..." Aelita said, almost as white as a sheet.

"Well... just so you know, I don't like tresspassers... but..." Tina said, and her mouth opened, showing her sharp teeth. Looking inside her mouth, it made Aelita squeal, and then, she screamed.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" She shouted as she took the metal pole from the side of the bed and whacked the T-Rex in the nose, and took off running as fast as she could.

"Ow!" Tina shouted. "Why'd you do that?!" With a loud roar, the mighty T-Rex chased after her. The girl kept running as fast as she could, but she felt a bit of a pain in her tummy. Apparently, the sandwich inside her wasn't fully digested yet. However, her running came to a short halt, seeing that there was a wall of broken stuff in front of her, blocking her path. She looked frantically around, trying to see if there was a way over or through it. But there wasn't.

_-STOMP. STOMP. STOMP.-_

Hearing the sound of huge feet stomping on the ground made the poor girl freeze, and turn her head to see the T-Rex approaching her slowly.

"Now... as I was saying..." Tina said as she moved closer, with Aelita almost on the verge of passing out.

But then suddenly, a spark of light zipped down from the sky. A yellow orb stood in between Aelita and Tina, and flashed before the latter, blinding her. What was happening Aelita thought. Was this orb protecting her?

"Go! Run for it! Go!" A voice spoke.

"What?" Aelita thought, hearing the voice. "Who said that?"

"Don't worry about it, just run!" The voice said. Looking back at the orb, the girl realized that the orb was talking. Giving a quick nod, Aelita took off running, seconds before the orb disappeared and followed her. Tina quickly shook her head to get the light out of her eyes, and then saw that the girl was gone. Aelita kept running and found her way toward the entrance of the Junkyard. She then made her way out and took off running away from the area. After a few short seconds, Tina arrived at the entrance, and looked around with a surprised and disappointed expression.

"Wait!" Tina shouted. "Where are you going?! I was just gonna ask if you wanted some food."

The girl ran as fast as she could from the junkyard down the street, hoping she would get far from the terrifying T-Rex. Turning her head back, she saw that the dinosaur was gone. Making her way across the alleyway, she stopped herself to catch a breath. She couldn't believe it, she thought. A Tyranosaurus Rex, living in the 21st Century? She thought dinosaurs were suppose to be extinct!

Well, that didn't matter now. What mattered was that she got away from the stampeding carnivore. But now, she has no where to go, or to sleep. So much for a peaceful night. She then made her way down the alley, which isn't safe. But where else could she go. Not back at the Junkyard with theT-Rex.

Suddenly, she felt her stomach growl all of a sudden. She placed her hand on her bump. She gave a groan.

"Great... how much hungry are you in there?" She asked, talking to the bulge in her stomach.

"Hey check it out boys!" Hearing that made the girl turn her head around. She then saw a couple of older boys, somewhere in their 20s, but they were tall, wearing street clothes and hoodies to hide a bit of their faces. She only stood there, wondering who they were.

"Well lookie here guys." The first one said. "We got ourselves an expecting lady, out here all alone." The boys then started to approach Aelita, with weird smiles on their faces.

"Hey there, pretty girl." The second said to the girl. "What are you doing out here in the middle of the night?" Aelita only tilted her head a bit in confusion.

"Um... I was... being chased by a T-Rex." She said. The boys looked at her, and then at each other. They started to laugh, as if they didn't believe her.

"Hey listen, girl." The first one said. "You seem to be lost, and alone."

"Yeah, an expecting mother like you shouldn't be out here." The second one said. The girl then looked down at her stomach, and then back at the boys.

"I... I think I'm just gonna go." Aelita said as she back away, only to feel something blocking her from behind. Turning around, she saw another one of the street boys, placing his hand on her shoulders.

"Hey, no said you had to leave." The third boy said. "Say, why don't we help you out a bit?"

"Help me?" she asked, pushing her back to the two boys, who moved closer to her.

"Yeah, and in fact, you can help us out too." The first one said.

"Uh huh..." The second one said. "We've been wanting to have a little fun..."

"Little fun?" Aelita asked.

"Yeah, you know." The third one said, showing sinister eyes under his head. "We've been wanting to do a little gangbanging for a while now." The girl looked confused. Gangbang? But then it hit her. She knew that they they meant by having a little fun. They were gonna force her to have sex with them!

"Get Away From Me You Perverts!" She shouted as she punched the street boy in front of her. But that only provoked him.

"Oh, now you're gonna get it!" He said, making the girl squeel in fear. She quickly made a bolt for it, passing the other guys.

"After Her!" The second one shouted.

"Don't let her get away!" The first one said. Aelita ran around the corner, down the alleyway, which isn't actually a smart move. She tired running as fast as she could, but the pain in her stomach started up again. From the time she ran from that T-rex and now these thugs, her poor tummy was unable to digest all that food. She stopped herself and hugged her stomach tight.

"Not again!" She said. But then she was grabbed by the arm and pulled back. Grabbed from behind and her mouth covered preventing her from screaming. She struggled, and managed to let out a scream.

"GAAAAAHHH!" She shouted.

"Oh No You Don't!" The guy holding her, holding a knife to her neck. The girl froze as she saw the weapon. "Come on guys, let's get this over with." The other two showed up, and then she was then pulled deeper into the alleyway where no one could see them.

"Alright boys, hold her up!" The first one said as she tossed her to his croonies. As if on command, the two boys held up the girl, with one arm holding her arms up, and the other arms holding her legs, spreading them open.

"Let's get the goods." He said as he then pulled down her leggings down to her feet, leaving her completely exposed. "Wow, no underwear or panties? She really is homeless."

"Bet she's been sleeping with other ones too?" The second guy asked.

"Well guess we'll be added to her list." The third one said.

"No!" Aelita shouted. "S'il vous plaît pas ça! Tout sauf ça!"

"Did you hear that guys?" The first one asked. "She speaks french! Now that's hot."

"Wait, how old do you think she is?" The second one asked.

"Who cares, so long as we get some satisfaction!" The third one said. The poor girl knew what was coming, and what they were going to do. And the worse part was that there was nothing she could do about it. The first guy with the knife unbuckled his pants and boxers, letting them drop.

"Alright boys, let's have fun with this little french slut..." He said as he moved toward her.

* * *

"Man, that place was soooo weird." Darwin said. "I've never seen women dance on polls before." Darwin said.

"Yeah, me neither." Gumball said with his head faced at the ground, kicking the crushed can in front of him. They just got back from the place their dad sent them, and luckily, they didn't have to stay long. They were able to use the card Richard gave them to get inside and speak with Touhou for Mom's birthday gift. After they got the picture they made their way home.

"You think Mrs. Mom will like the picture from the artist?" Darwin asked, showing the picture rolled up in a tube. Gumball only gave a sigh, still depressed.

"I don't really care." He said, his head slumped down, much to Darwin's notice.

"Dude, c'mon, lighten up a bit." Darwin said. "Penny would want you to move on."

"I don't know dude." Gumball said. "It would feel awkward just to do so."

"Didn't you try going out with Teri?" Darwin asked.

"Yeah, got papercuts." Gumball said, remembering how he tried to make things work with Teri, but was unable to survive the day without getting papercuts.

"How about Masabi?" Darwin asked.

"She only cares about money." Gumball said, remembering when he hung out with Masabi and she demanded him to buy her something nice. When she asked right away, he just left her.

"What about Tina?" Darwin asked.

"C'mon man, she's a T-rex." Gumball said, remembering when he tried to go out with Tina Rex, but she was kinda too big for her.

"Well, don't give up man, there are a lot of fish in the sea." Darwin said.

"But I don't want a fish, buddy." Gumball said. "Especially since I have you."

"Well... what do you want then?" Darwin asked. The blue cat stopped in his tracks, lifting his head up.

"I just want Penny back..." He said, and then glanced up at the sky. "I feel... so lost without her."

"Listen, I know you miss her, but you really have to move on." Darwin said. "Penny wouldn't want you to sulk down on your knees and cry. She would want you to stand up high, smile to the sky, scare off those rainclouds and say bye bye." The blue cat raised an eyebrow.

"What?" Gumball asked.

"You know, just keep your head up and put a smile on." Darwin said. "Like Cupcake Surprise from Pretty Pretty Ponies would say, when life gets you down, just smile. Come on man... lemme see that smile." Darwin said with his cheery face, showing his little buck teeth. Seeing Darwin with that cute expression actually made Gumball form a bit of a smile.

"C'mon... Ahhhhh...!" Darwin said, making another happy face. The face he made was the same one he made when he was powered by the power of love when he and Gumball were chasing down a trash bin that they thought their dad and Mr. Robinson was in. Gumball then gave a little bit of a chuckle as Darwin continued smiling.

"See, that's the Gumball I wanna see." Darwin said as he gave his brother a hug. "You feel better?"

"A little bit." Gumball said. "Not completely, but it's a start though."

"And over time, you will get better." Darwin said as he caressed his adoptive brother's face and nuzzled him. Gumball couldn't help but sigh as he embraced his brother with a weak smile, and some solace.

"I'm so glad to have a brother like you, buddy." Gumball said.

"Me too." Darwin said. Suddenly, they felt something land gently on their heads. It was a drop of water. Looking up at the sky, they saw that the moonlight sky began to get cloud, and droplets of water began to rain down on them slowly.

"Uh oh." Darwin said, knowing that it was starting to rain. "We better get home."

"Totally." Gumball said. "We don't want to get dre-" Before the blue cat finished, something caught his attention.

"What the?" He spoke, seeing behind Darwin, he saw a glowing yellow orb floating above the ground at his level. "Darwin, do you see that?"

"See what?" Darwin asked.

"Look, that light!" Gumball said, pointing behind Darwin. The fish with legs turned around, but saw nothing.

"What light?" Darwin asked, though Gumball could see if clear as day. The bright orb that right there, but nobody could see it but him.

"Hey!" Gumball called out to the orb. "Yeah, you! Are you lost?!" The orb said nothing.

"Dude, who are you talking too?" Darwin asked.

"That little orb floating about." Gumball said. "Don't you see it?"

"No." Darwin said confused. The blue cat took another glance at the orb, which began to fly away.

"Wait, come back!" Gumball called out as he ran after.

"Dude, wait!" Darwin shouted as he ran after his cat brother. The blue cat kept running after the orb, which was actually moving at the blue cat's pace. Gumball tried to catch up to it, but he couldn't. At least it wasn't getting away from him either. As they came across the side of the building, Gumball eventually grew tired and came to a halt. He began catching his breath. Despite him being thin and fit, his stamina needed a little more work. Thank goodness he wasn't producing sweat marks, otherwise they would've reached his pants.

But then his ears perked up, hearing voices. It sounded like some boys, and a girl.

"Dude!" Darwin called out as he finally caught up with the blue cat. "Don't run off like th-"

"Shhh!" Gumball said. "Do you hear that?" The two leaned in and heard the voices. It sounded like a girl struggling, and a couple of boy voices. The two made their way toward the entrance of the alleyway. As they moved closer and closer, the voices became more clearer.

"Come on you guys, hold her up!"

"Let Me Go! Please! Stop!"

Moving their heads from the side the wall, they saw three guys surrounding some girl, two of them holding her up.

"What's going on?" Gumball asked.

"Someone's getting mugged!" Darwin shouted. Gumball then noticed something. The girl. That was the same girl he gave the tuna sandwich to eariler.

"Hey, that's that girl!" Gumball said. "Is she getting robbed or something?" Turning back at the muggers, he noticed the man in front of her was unbuckling his pants down, and showing off his private parts, as he was about to... Gumball gasped.

"Dude... I think they're gonna..." Gumball said.

"They're gonna what?" Darwin asked. Seeing this disgusting and horrible act, brought anger to the blue cat's eyes.

"Those Animals!" He shouted, knowing what they were about to do. "She needs our help!" Not wanting to see anymore, he charged toward the scene with an angry face.

"Dude, wait!" Darwin shouted, following suit.

"Alright boys, let's have fun with this little french slut..." The guy said as he approached Aelita.

"HEY!"

The three boys turned turned around, to see Gumball charging toward them, as the rain began to fall faster.

"Leave Her Alone!" The blue cat shouted as he jumped one of the boys, using his claws to scratch and impading himself onto his face so he wouldn't let go, making the guy scream.

"GAAH!" The perp said. "A Cat! I Hate Cats! Get him off me!" The other two were startled. The guy who was holding Aelita dropped her to the ground, running over to help, but soon, Darwin ran up to him and slapped him in the face with his fish arm.

"OW!" He shouted. "Ow, that really hurt!"

"And there's plenty more where that came from!" Darwin shouted as he slapped him over and over again. Gumball kept scratching the guy, but soon he was pulled off by the other guy and thrown to the ground. He quickly got back up and tried to scratch some more, but the leader with the knife swung it right in Gumball's face, cutting the side of his cheek. The blue cat was shocked at first, but then, he slowly turned his face, his teeth began to grit, and then... his eyes slowly became black, with his pupils turning yellow. Additional fangs began to form in his mouth, and his paws began to shift into white demonic claws.

"What the f-" The leader spoke in shock.

"GRRRAAAAAHHH!" Gumball screeched as he lashed onto the guy, this time since his claws were much more sharper, that began to form cuts on the guy's face, messing it up. Darwin and the other two stood there, seeing the way Gumball was mauling the sicko.

"Oh, not again!" Darwin said as he backed away. Then, with a swing of his claw, Gumball dug into the man's pelvis.

"AAAAHHHH!" He shouted, and Gumball pulled back, ripping his... well... his lower parts right of, making the guy scream in agony. Then the blue cat lifted him off the ground, and tossed him into the dumpster. He then slowly turned to see the other two croonies, who all stood there in shock, with horror seeing the blue cat's yellow pupils and black eyes.

"Dude, Let's Get Out of Here!" The second guy said.

"Run For It!" The third guy shouted as he and the second one fleed, but Gumball then leaped forward and grabbed their legs, making them trip.

"No! No No No No!" The second guy shouted.

"No, Wait Please, No Mothafu-!" The third guys said. From the view of the sidewalk on one side, nobody could tell what was going on in the alleyway from the screams of agony and pain. In a short few seconds, both of them were thrown out of the alleyway, right into a car, showing them all bloodied up and in cuts and bruises. They both fell to the ground, moaning in pain. Gumball only stood there, his eyes glowing and his claws sharp. He let out a screech, but then someone hugged him from behind.

"Gumball, Stop!" Darwin shouted, holding the blue cat tight. Gumball reacted by flailing his arms a bit, but Darwin's arms kept him from doing so.

"Breathe, dude." he said. "Breathe." The fish started to pet Gumball on the head. Feeling the soft stroke on his fur and head made Gumball's breathing slow down and more deep. Pretty soon, his eyes stopped glowing, reverting to normal, and his claws retracted, showing his blue paws again. Gumball soon took one last deep breath and knelt to the ground.

"You feel better now?" Darwin asked.

"Yeah, I feel better now..." Gumball said, finally calming down, bits of rain began to fall down on them. Staring down at his hands, he saw there was blood on them, only to be washed away from the rain. He sighed, seeing the blood dripping away. "I lost it again, did I."

"Yeeaah, you kinda ripped the first guy's pelvis up, then you beat those other two to a pulp." Darwin said. Hearing that made Gumball cover his face.

"Why do I always go berserk like that..." Gumball said. "I'm starting to act like mom..." But then his mind clicked back on. He turned back toward the girl, seeing her leaning against the wall. He gasped and ran toward her.

"Hey, are you alright?!" He asked as he knelt down beside her. "Miss Aelita?" He placed his hands on her arms and shifted her toward him. She was speaking silently, mumbling only four names...

"Jeremie... Odd... Ulrich... Yumi..." She weakly spoke.

"Hey, hey." Gumball said as he patted her face, trying to wake her up. "Pull yourself together, ok?" The girl turned her head and opened her eyes, glancing right at the blue cat.

"Hey... I remember you..." She spoke with a weak smile. "You're that cute kitten..." The blue cat holding her blushed in surprise. She called him cute.

"Oh... well, thanks, but I'm not that cute." Gumball said, but then she placed her hand on his cheek, making look right at her.

"You have... the most beautiful eyes..." She whispered, and then she leaned forward, passing out in exhaustion.

"It's ok." He said to her. "They won't hurt you anymore." As he held her, he couldn't help but place his hand onto the girl's stomach as it moved a teeny bit...

Wait... Move?!

The blue cat gasped silently as his hand moved away from the girl's tummy. Did he just feel movement inside there? Looking at the girl's belly, he gently placed his hand back onto the surface, feeling a mass inside the girl's abdomen, and whatever this mass was, it was moving a little bit.

"There's something in there." Gumball spoke softly. What _is_ in there? Was it an animal? Was it some parasite? Was it... was it a baby? He glanced back at the girl, confused and with many questions in his mind.

"What happened to you?" he asked, but she was still unconcious, sleeping peacefully. All Gumball could do was only stare at her. Despite her face a bit dirty and her hair a bit of a mess, the only thing he could see was her beauty.

"She's so beautiful..." He said, as the fish with legs came up from behind to see the unconscious girl.

"You met her before?" Darwin asked.

"Just this morning after I left the School." Gumball said as he rested her against the wall. "She got mugged by some guy who stole her money. I gave her my lunch that mom packed for me, including the tuna sandwich." Darwin froze in place, and glanced at the blue cat with saddened eyes.

"Dude..." He said.

"What?" Gumball asked.

"Did you say you had a tuna sandwich?" Darwin asked.

"I did, but I let her have it." Gumball said. Darwin then began to tear up, making Gumball believe the obvious. "What, did you want tuna too?"

"No dude!" Darwin shouted. "Tuna is a fish!"

"So?" Gumball asked.

"And I'm a fish!" Darwin shouted, with Gumball realizing his brother's issue.

"Oooohhh..." Gumball said. "Sorry man, I've been craving tuna lately."

"Well, can you not?" Darwin asked.

"Uh, no." Gumball said. "I can't help it, I'm a cat, after all."

"Hmph." Darwin said as he crossed his arms and turned away.

"Come on buddy." Gumball said as he began to pet Darwin's head. "You know that I have a lot of respect for the fish community. And besides, if there was one fish I would never eat on this planet, it's you." Hearing that got the orange fish's attention.

"You really mean that?" Darwin asked.

"Of course." Gumball said. "Because you're more than my best friend. You're my brother."

"Awww..." Darwin said with a happy smile. "Thank you." The two then gave each other a hug. The blue cat however then turned his head back at Aelita, who was still unconcious.

"C'mon buddy, let's get her out of here." He said, stepping foward to pick up the girl.

"What are you doing?" Darwin asked.

"What does it look like?" Gumball asked as he lifted the girl over his shoulder. Despite being an inch smaller than her, the blue cat was strong enough to hold her on his back. "We'll take her back to our place."

"Dude, I don't think we're suppose to take some girl off the street." Darwin said. "What if her parents are looking for her?"

"Darwin, this girl's been _living_ on the streets." Gumball said. "Besides, we can't just leave her here."

"Why can't we just call the cops?" Darwin askd.

"Seriously, have you seen how horrible the police are around here?" Gumball asked. "They're practically food."

"Yeah, you make a good point on that." Darwin said. "But what if they come by and think we mugged her?"

"Ok fine..." Gumball said, reaching into his hoodie's pocket, pulling out a pair of sunglasses, placing them on the girl. "There does that make you feel better? Now c'mon, let's get her back to the house."

"What about the hospital?" Darwin asked.

"Dude, the hospital here in town is horrible too." Gumball said. "They kicked some Krab guy out because he has no insurence." The fish then started thinking, remembering how they saw the Krab guy get kicked out of the hospital.

"You know, sometimes I wonder why the economy sucks here in Elmore." Darwin said.

"Yeah, me too." Gumball said. "Now come on dude, help me carry her." Reluctant, the fish helped by carrying the girl by the other arm and wrapping it around his shoulder. The two then carried her out of the alleyway and back to their house, where everybody else was waiting for them.

* * *

**Sorry for this chapter to be so short. There were details and info I wanted to keep out until later. More info on what happened to Aelita and at Kadic Academy will be revealed soon.**

**So, yes, Gumball just saved Aelita from getting ganged up by those perverts. Now he and Darwin are taking her back to his house. Wonder how their family is going to react to this.**

**Also made a couple references here and there.**

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	4. Chapter 4: Home

**Ok, here's the next chapter! We now return to the Watterson Household.**

* * *

Chapter 04: Home

What sucked about the Rainbow Factory was that there are some people who don't stay long, such as the executives, and the lower-class ones, stay for longer hours, and receive very little pay. Nicole was the latter, and not everyone could figure out how she can manage it. Perhaps she sees it as a way to stay away from her family for most of the day. Not that she doesn't love her family, no, she loves them very much. But they can be chaotic, and with Summer here, it's gonna get even more chaotic. And by even more chaotic, it means the even more chaotic that would make Discord and Eris, the Gods of Chaos, look like guinea pigs.

After getting out of the car as she pulled up. She went up the door. In her mind, she was expecting the house to be in shambels again, most likel because her family are running crazy to try and give her the best birthday gift ever. Opening the door, she saw that everything was intact. Nothing ruined, and nothing destroyed. This would surprise her if the chaotic antics happened everyday as usual, but ever since Gumball's fallen into depression, the chaos has died down to a minimum or to nothing at all, which is what every mother would want. But Nicole, she missed it so much. Perhaps she gotten so used to her family's crazy antics, that the chaos at home is what makes her sane.

She gave a sigh as she dropped her work bag and closed the door. But she knew there was something off though. And it wasn't the absense of the chaos, it was something else. As if someone's waiting to surprise-

"SURPRISE!" Anais and Richard shouted.

"AAHH!" Nicole shouted as she jumped up. Seeing that it was her husband and daughter.

"Oh... thanks." Nicole said nervously. But then, she noticed something else was off. With a couple of sniffs from her nose, she noticed two scents in the house were missing. With her being a cat, she had the ability to sniff out people, including trouble. And she was right. The boys weren't home.

"Where are the boys?" Nicole asked.

"Well, I got you a birthday present, but I forgot to pick it up, so I sent them down to the Adult store to pick up your present." Richard said with a smile.

"WHAT?!" Nicole asked in an anger tone, making Richard realize what he just said, and Anais face-palming her head.

"Ooh..." Richard said. "Is it the birthday or sending two kids in the middle of the night to an Adult store?"

"Sending two kids to an Adult Store!" Nicole said. "Richard, Gumball's only fourteen and Darwin's only twelve... wait, he's probably ten... You know what I mean!"

"Aww c'mon honey, how much trouble can they get into?" Richard asked. Nicole was about to lose it again, but then...

_-DING DONG-_

The ringing of the doorbell pulled Nicole from unleashing her anger. She gave a sigh of relief. That was probably the boys coming back. She walked up to the door and opened it. She saw her boys, holding an unconcious girl.

"Hi Mom." Gumball said.

"Happy Birthday!" Darwin said with a smile. Nicole only stood there, looking at the boys and the girl they had in their arms.

"Boys, why do you two have an girl who looks like she's sleeping?" She asked. Her tone was calm, but one could tell that anger was about to show.

"Oh, this girl was robbed but we saved her and decided to bring her here." Gumball said.

"Why?" Nicole asked as her eye began to twitch.

"Cuz she's all alone." Gumball said. "Is it alright if she stays here? Please don't kick our butts." Nicole looked at her son, then at the girl, who was still out cold. She just let out a heavy sigh.

"Alright, bring her in and lay her on the couch." She said. The boys gave a happy smile and came into the door. They placed the girl onto the couch, carefully laying her head on the arm of the couch.

"Ooo, you guys brought your mom a hooker?" Richard asked. "Why didn't I think of that?"

"Dad, she's a girl!... probably fourteen or fifteen, but she's not a... what you just called her." Gumball said. "That's a horrible thing to say."

"Sorry." Richard said. Darwin began to examine the girl, who was still unconcious.

"Wow... she must've been pretty tired." Darwin said.

"Dude, she was knocked out cold." Gumball said. "What did you expect." Richard looked at the girl once more and then began thinking. The rabbit also noticed the strange bump on the girl's belly.

"What's up with the girl's tummy?" He asked asked. "She looks like she ate a soccer ball."

"Well, actually dad, she's... um..." Gumball said.

"She's what, Gumball?" Nicole asked. The blue cat was trying to get it out, but he couldn't just say it out loud.

"Here..." He said, taking the older cat's hand and placing it onto the girl's belly. It only took a few short seconds for her to notice the mass.

_-GASP-_

Nicole yanked her hand away as she felt movement inside the girl.

"Oh my god..." She said. "I felt something move in there." Feeling movement in there meant only one thing. This young girl is pregnant! But how?

"What does that mean?" Darwin asked. The mama cat tried to think of what to say.

"Um... well, Darwin, remember when I told you where babies come from?" Nicole asked.

"Yeah, you said that they come from women when a man and woman love each other." Darwin said, but then his eyes widened with realization.

"Oh my gosh!" He said. "She's gonna be a mommy!" Anais only face palmed her head. How much more stupid could Darwin be?

"Where did you find her?" Nicole asked.

"Well, that's a funny story." Gumball said. "I actually met her this morning when I left school. She got mugged by some jerk who stole her money and-"

"Wait, this morning?" Nicole asked, giving a stern and surprised look. "Wait, what do you mean you left school this morning, did you sneak out of sch-"

"Hey!" Gumball spoke, raising his hand up. "I'm not done yet. You said never to interrupt someone when they're talking, so don't you interrupt me too, alright?" Surprised by this, the mama cat gave a sigh, knowing the part where he left school in the moring would have to wait.

"Sorry." Nicole said. "Go on."

"So anyway." Gumball continued. "I met her this morning after she got mugged. I gave her my lunch so she would have something to eat. Then me and Darwin ran into her again while we went to that adult store to get your present from dad. Speaking of which, here you go." Before he continued, her pulled out a rolled up picture from under Darwin's hat and gave it to his mom. Upon opening it, Nicole looked at it with surprise, astonishment, and confusion. The gift Richard has given her was a picture of herself, in a nice sexy latex warrior outfit, with chains and a whip, on top of Richard, who was dressed as a motorcycler.

"Uh... wow..." Nicole said as the redness in her cheeks got more red. "Richard this is... um... thoughtful."

"Yep." Richard said. "It's a picture to remind you that I love you everyday." Anais took a quick look at the photo.

"Ok, that is probably the creepiest thing I've ever seen." She said, only for Richard to shield her eyes.

"Whoawhoawhoawhoawhoa... whoa!" Richard said as he covered Anais' eyes. "You shouldn't be looking at this stuff."

"Dad..." Anais said with a groan.

"He's right though, sweetie." Nicole said as she rolled up the picture. "A girl like you shouldn't see this." This was only met with another groan from the little bunny.

"May I continue with my story?" Gumball asked.

"Yes, continue, please." Nicole said.

"Thank you." Gumball said. "Anyway, when we left the adult store, I saw this strange light and it led us to the alleyway, then we found this girl about to be assaulted by a couple of thugs. Me and Darwin stopped them, scared them away, and we decided to bring her home so she would be safe. Now, I'm finished." Nicole looked at her son with a bit of surprise, but also feeling a bit proud. It was actually quite amazing that Gumball was able to save this girl from being sexually assaulted by some thugs. Though it was surprising that they actually brought her home instead of the hospital.

"Well, I'm very proud that you went out of your ways to help her, boys." Nicole said. "But that doesn't answer why you left school in the morning."

"Oh, about that." Gumball answered. "Turns out I got a good score on the exams, so I don't have to go back there. It was a critical error or some tampering with the school grades or something. And not only that, Miss Simian, Principle Brown, and every other teacher there got charged with neglection, robbery, forgery, and all that other bad stuff they did. So they're gonna be in the slammer for a long, long, long time." Nicole raised an eyebrow in surprise. The teachers got arrested?

"Wow..." Nicole said. "Well it's about time that happened."

"Yeah, Miss Simian was always terrible." Richard said. "Now the old hag's finally getting what she deserved."

"Spending the rest of her miserable life in jail?" Darwin asked.

"Exactly." Richard said.

"Mmmph..." A sound came from the girl as she slightly moved her head a bit.

"Shhh, she's waking up." Gumball said, as he and the family leaned in closer. The girl squinted her eyes and she slowly opened them. The blurry vision soon became crystal clear, as she saw the blue cat boy in her face, staring right at her.

"Better?" He asked. Her eyes widened open.

"AAHHHH!" She screamed.

"AHHHHH!" Gumball shouted as he tumbled backwards onto his butt.

"AHHHHH!" The rest of the family shouted, until Richard let out a loud burp.

"Excuse me." Richard said nervously. The girl then glanced over at Nicole and the others, then backed away quickly to the end of the couch and grabbed one of the pillows to defend herself. The Wattersons were a bit startled by her and Gumball's sudden scream, though they were surprised that she was just as confused as they were.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." Gumball said as he got up onto his feet. The girl looked at him, then at his family, and then everywhere, seeing that she was inside a house.

"Where am I?" she asked.

"My house." Gumball said. "You were attacked and I brought you here. It's alright, we won't hurt you." The girl still glanced at him and his family, trying to process what happened. Oh, that's right. She was chased by those thugs, and they were going to assault her. But the blue cat was there, and he saved her. As she tried to process all of this, Nicole only stepped forward and gently pushed Gumball aside.

"Let me do the talking..." Nicole whispered to everyone. She cleared her throat and walked up to the girl.

"Hi there." Nicole said with a wave. "Welcome to our home. I'm Nicole Watterson. This is my husband Richard, and this is my son Gumball, my daughter Anais, and our adopted son Darwin." Richard, Gumball and Darwin gave a nervous wave, but kept their faces smiling. Anais, however, wasn't smiling. She only stood there, looking at the girl suspiciously, and blew a bubble from the gum she was chewing.

"What's your name?" Nicole asked. The girl looked confusingly at the mama cat, then back at the others.

"Um... I'm... Aelita..." She silently spoke.

"What's that?" Nicole asked.

"I'm... my name is Aelita..." She spoke a little bit louder, but not loud enough.

"Didn't quite hear that." Nicole said as she leaned in a bit, her hand next to her ear to hear better. The poor girl however only back away a bit, turning away in a shy manner.

"This is like the first episode of Pretty Pretty Ponies, where Twinkle Glitter meets Flittershy for the first time..." Richard whispered to the kids, all of them giving a nod. Giving a sigh, Gumball stepped forward.

"Hey, it's ok." Gumball said. "We're not gonna hurt you. It'll be alright." He extended his hand out, and the girl glanced at it. Looking back at the blue cat, who was giving a friendly smile, she somewhat found a bit of comfort. He saved her from those pervs trying to defile her, and he brought her to his house. Giving a uneasy nod, she took a hold of his hand. Suddenly, she pulled him and gave him a hug, much to his surprise.

"Thank you for saving me..." She spoke as she held onto him. Touched by those words, the blue cat wrapped his arms around her, completing the hug. Seeing her at ease allowed Nicole to sigh in a bit of relief, while Richard and Darwin began to smile.

"Awwww... I think Gumball's got a new girlfriend..." Richard whispered to the fish with legs and both of them began to chuckle silently. Anais, on the other hand, watched the girl cautiously, especially with how she's hugging her brother.

"I... I better make dinner." Nicole said, getting up and going into the kitchen.

* * *

In a little while, Nicole had made supper and everyone, including Aelita, was at the dining table. Only one word could describe this moment. Quiet. Actually, two words. Awkward and Quiet. No one said anything as they silently ate dinner. The only person who wasn't eating was Aelita, who looked down at the food on her plate.

"Are you gonna eat that?" Richard asked, only for Nicole to shake her head at him, telling him not do ask. The rabbit only sighed in disappointment.

"I feel awkward." Darwin said with a smile, with Anais only giving a sigh. Gumball was the only one looking at Aelita. He couldn't keep his eyes off her though. This young girl who has been on the streets, having barely anything to eat, and carrying a child in her tummy. Yet, she looked innocent and beautiful.

As her eyes set upon him, he realized that he was staring at her for a while. Giving a blush, he turned away.

"Sorry..." He said, giving a blush. Yep, that was pretty stupid on his part. But he noticed that she wasn't eating from her plate. He knew she has to eat something. Looking over to his plate, he saw the half piece of grilled cheese mixed with a four blend cheese, with swiss and string cheese. He picked it up and offered it to Aelita.

"Here, you want my piece of grilled cheese?" Gumball asked. The girl looked down at his slice, then at him.

"It's ok, you can trust me." He said. The girl looked at him, then back at the slice. Lowering her head, she opened her mouth, and he extended his arm out so she can take a bite of the bread piece. Taking a good chunk, she chewed a while and swallowed. The taste of the different kinds of cheese mixed together was actually pretty good.

"It's good." She said, giving a weak smile.

"Thanks." Gumball said with a smile of his own. "I made it myself, though Mom is a better cook than me." The two smiling at each other caught the attention of everyone. Darwin was giving his usual smile, while Nicole gave a weak smile, but it was mostly at Gumball's smile. She hasn't seen a smile like that in a long time.

"I think they're making a connection." Richard whispered to Nicole, while the mama cat rolled her eyes. However, one person wasn't smiling, and it was Anais. She looked at the two with a cautious glare. What was her brother doing, giving his food to some stranger he just met?

"So... um..." Nicole began, breaking the silence one more. "Miss Aelita, where are you from, exactly?" The girl lowered her head.

"I'm from... nowhere." She said.

"Nowhere?" Nicole asked. "Well, you gotta come from somewhere." Nicole said. "Aren't your parents worried about you?" Gumball shook his head, and waved his hand across his neck, telling him mom not to ask that, though Nicole didn't understand what that meant.

"My parents... are dead." She said, with Gumball giving a sigh.

"Oh... well, that is pretty much nowhere then..." Nicole said, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Maybe she came from a brothel..." Anais spoke under her mouth, which was surprisingly met with a glare from Nicole.

"What did you say?" She asked.

"Nothing..." Anais said quickly.

"Well... I've been on the streets for... a little while." Aelita said.

"Wow..." Richard said. "What's it like, living on the streets?" The girl tilted her head, a little confused why he asked the question.

"It's... well... it has it's ups and downs, I guess." She said. "I mean, I've been working odd jobs to get money for food, mostly cleaning."

"Cleaning men's junk probably..." Anais thought to herself.

"What kind of cleaning?" Nicole asked.

"Pipes, floors, and walls." Aelita said. "I've recently cleaned the pipes at the construction site this morning, though some thumb print creep stole the money I earned."

"You mean Sal Thumb Print?" Richard asked. "Oh man, I hate that guy. One time I sent Gumball and Darwin to the gas store to buy Nicole a birthday gift, and Sal tried to rob the store with a spoon. A Spoon!" Nicole only gave a nervous smile as the girl looked with a bit of confusion.

"Elmore's a pretty strange town." Gumball said. "It has a lot of... unique characters."

"Well, that explains the giant T-Rex." Aelita said.

"Say Miss?" Anais asked. "Can I ask you something?"

"Yes?" Aelita asked.

"Well, you said that you've done some odd jobs." Anais began. "Have you resorted to... you know... riding someone's crotch?" That was met with gasps from Gumball and Nicole.

"Anais, watch your mouth!" Nicole whispered. "She's just a fourteen year-old girl."

"What?" Anais asked. "It was just a question. Nothing personal..." She ate the piece of green beans off her plate, as Nicole only sighed and shook her head, unaware of her daughter crossing her fingers behind her back.

"So, you've been living on the streets for a while?" Darwin asked. "How long a while?"

"Um... months..." Aelita said. "I lost count."

"Well, do you have any other relatives or something?" Richard asked.

"No, I don't." Aelita said. "I don't have anywhere else to go." The blue cat next to her couldn't help but feel sorry for her. She has nowhere else to go except back out onto the streets. And if she was nearly nearly assaulted by a group of thugs, who knows what else could happen to her. He didn't want his new friend to suffer the wrath of whatever mother nature throws at her.

But then, an idea came to his head. There was only one way to keep her from suffering the grim dangers of the streets.

"Hey, if you want, you can stay with us for a little while." Gumball said. This was met with Nicole almost choking on her food.

"Oh My Gosh!" Richard called out. "Heimlich Maneuver!" He then pulled Nicole in and started to push his hands into Nicole's abdomen, trying to apply strong pressure to dislodge the food from her windpipe, though it looked like she was humping her aggressively, making Darwin giggle a teeny bit. Pretty soon, the piece of food was pushed out of Nicole's throat and out of her mouth, landing in Anais's food.

"Ew..." She said as she pushed her plate away. The mama cat took in deep breaths until she could finally breathe normally.

"Thank you, honey..." Nicole said as she pecked Richard on the cheek. "Gumball, a word please?" As she said that, her smile looked forced and the squint in her eyes made Gumball sigh.

"Oh man..." He said. "Excuse me for a second." He then excluded himself from the table and followed Nicole into the living room. The two came to a stop and the mama cat turned to face her son.

"Honey, do you honestly expect me to let her stay here with us?" Nicole asked.

"Aww, come on mom." Gumball said. "She has nowhere else to go. Can't we just let her stay with us for a while."

"Gumball, we can't just take a complete stranger off the streets into our house." Nicole said.

"But helping those who can't help themselves is the right thing to do." Gumball said.

"Yes, but we can't help everybody." Nicole said. "I'm sorry, but we can't let her stay with us."

"So, you're just gonna kick her out back onto the streets, where she'll suffer for the rest of her life?" Gumball asked. The mama cat raised an eyebrow. Her son made a good point on tha-

Oh, no, she thought. She knew what he was trying to do. He was trying to guilt-trip her. She could tell in his eyes. She formed a smile of her own.

"Honey, I know what you're doing." Nicole said. "There's no use into guilt-tripping me. No one can guilt-trip like a mother, and you know it." The blue cat was about to speak, but then a grin came onto his face.

"Well, then I guess if you let her back on the streets, some guys like the ones who jumped her will likely assaut her again, and she, and most likely her unborn baby, will likely get killed... on your watch." Gumball said.

"And?" Nicole asked.

"That means everybody in town will hate you when they find out." Gumball said.

"And?" Nicole asked.

"They'll see you as a horrible person, and a horrible mother." Gumball said.

"And?" Nicole asked.

"And you'll lose your job, no one will hire you, we'll lose our house, we'll be taken away into children's services, and you'll resort turning into a stripper for cash for the rest of your life." Gumball said. The mama cat was about to speak, but then her eyes widened with realization. He actually had a big point. Letting the girl back on the streets after one day would result to her getting mugged again, or worse. And if people found out about that, she would really be hated across town. She would lose her job, the house, no one would hire her, and the kids could be taken away from her, and she'll resort to... what Gumball has told her. She looked back at her son, and smiled.

"Wow, you actually managed to guilt-trip me..." Nicole said.

"I have learned from the best." Gumball said, making the mama cat smile and roll her eyes even more.

"Alright... she can stay, but only until Friday." Nicole said after a sigh. Gumball then started to think. Today was Tuesday, so that means she let Aelita stay for three days... or two days since today was already almost up. Neverless he gave a nod.

"Ok then, it's a deal." Gumball said. "But who knows, you might change your mind."

"We'll see about that." Nicole said as she rustled her son's head playfully. With that the two made their way back to the table.

"Ok, I suppose you can stay with us for a couple days." Nicole said to Aelita. "But only until this Friday." Hearing that surprised Aelita a bit. They were gonna let her stay for a while.

"Oh, you don't have to do that." Aelita said. "I don't want to be trouble."

"No, no, it's alright." Nicole said. "You can stay until Friday." Hearing that made the girl a bit more surprised. She didn't want to burden them, but they were willing to let her stay... for a little while at least.

"Thank you, Mrs. Watterson." Aelita said. "I suppose I can crash on the couch until then, if that's alright."

"Of course, sweetie." Nicole said, who then glanced at the clock, seeing that it was 9:00PM, time for everyone to get to bed. "Speaking of which, we should probably get to bed."

"Ok!" Darwin said as he picked up his empty plate and placed them in the dish washer, while Richard took his own plate and made his way to the washing machine.

"Richard, what are you doing?" Nicole asked.

"Putting my dish in the dish washer." The rabbit said.

"That's the washing machine." Nicole said.

"I know." Richard said.

"We use it to wash our clothes, not our plates." Nicole said.

"Oh." Richard said. "Well, I didn't know that." Gumball, Darwin, and Aelita couldn't help but chuckle silently at this. Richard always gets things confused, but his kids love him for that. The only one who wasn't joining the chuckling was Anais, who was staring a bit at Aelita in suspicion. She didn't like having a complete stranger in the house, especially someone on the streets. Regardless, she would have to cope with it for a couple days, so might as well be friendly with her... for now.

* * *

It was somewhere around 11:07PM, and the stars outside were still sparkling in the sky. Everyone was in their beds, fast asleep, except for one.

Aelita was laying on the couch, staring at the ceiling. She was covered in a nice blanket that Nicole gave her. Despite being on a much comfier spot, she couldn't sleep. She was going over the entire day in her head. For she spent the whole morning trying to clean the pipes to earn some cash, only for it to be stolen from her by some thief. Then this nice young boy comes along and gives her food from the kindness of his heart. Then she spent the whole day trying to find another job, but to no prevail. Then she gets chased by a giant T-Rex and almost became some sick creeps' plaything. But then she gets saved by the boy who gave her food and his fish brother. He brings her to his home and lets her stay for a little while.

With all the time she's spent on the streets, this was probably the most fortunate event that has happened to her. But yet, it felt weird, being in the comfort of someone's home. It felt so strange. Perhaps it's because she has grown used to being on the streets, and suffering through whatever she would encounter.

She tried to get those thoughts out of her head so she could go to sleep. She closed her eyes, trying to think of peaceful moments. That always helps. But it was kinda hard for her to do so, especially with her having a baby in her stomach.

"Hello there."

The sudden voice made Aelita open her eyes. As she did, she saw a yellow glowing orb floating on the other side of the couch. Aelita slowly sat herself up to see. Seeing the glowing orb made her eyes widen up. That orb. It's the same orb she saw when she was being chased by that T-Rex. The same orb that helped her get away.

"Oh, It's you!" Aelita said, though she spoke quietly so she wouldn't wake anyone up.

"Nice to see you too." The orb said as it floated to her closely.

"Who... are you?" Aelita asked. "Are you a spirit?"

"Yes, actually." The orb said. The orb began to glow brightly, then it transformed in a much more humanoid appearance. Her form consisted of arms and legs with no hands, and she had a body was glowing yellow with a gradient of orange. She had two antlers over her head, a pair of bright yellow wings on her back, and a halo over her head.

"Hi." The fairy spoke.

"Um... hi." Aelita said. "What are you?"

"A fairy." The fairy said. "Well, I'm also an angel so to speak."

"An angel?" Aelita asked.

"Yeah, I passed away almost a year ago in a terrible accident." She said. "It was tragic. Very tragic."

"Oh." Aelita said. "I'm so sorry."

"It's ok." The fairy said as she sat next to the girl. "I sometimes come from the heavens to see how things are going. It's sad that no one else can see me."

"I see." Aelita said as she looked down at the ground. "Oh, thank you for saving me from that T-Rex."

"It was nothing." The fairy said. "You'll have to forgive Tina. She's a bit sensitive, and she tries to be more feminine at times."

"Tina?" Aelita asked.

"That's her name." The fairy said.

"Ahh." Aelita said with a nod, and then looked at the stairway leading to the upper floor of the house, with today's events still lingering on her mind, much to the fairy's notice.

"You seem a little distressed." She said.

"I'm a little more distressed." Aelita said. "I've been through a lot this past year. I've been on the streets for months now, and I've been trying to get my life back on track. But apparently it hasn't been going much anywhere. It was really nice of this family to let me stay here, even though it's just temporary."

"Well, maybe they'll let you stay for real." The fairy said.

"I doubt that will ever happen." Aelita said. "Plus, I don't want to be a burden."

"Don't give up hope just yet." The fairy said. "The Wattersons are nice people, and so is their son, Gumball. I think he'd like you to stay for real." Hearing those hopeful words brought a smile to Aelita's face.

"Thank you." Aelita said.

"You're welcome, but I'm not the one you should probably thank though." The fairy said.

"Huh?" Aelita asked.

"Pssst... hey...!" Hearing the whisper got her attention. Turning her head to the stairway, she saw Gumball. He was wearing his sleep clothes, consisting of a short-sleeved yellow shirt with a white color and sleeve cuffs, and grey shorts.

"You ok?" He asked.

"Oh, yes, I'm fine." Aelita said. She then turned her head, seeing the fairy gone. She probably had to go.

"Who were you talking to?" Gumball asked.

"Oh, just myself." Aelita said, thinking he won't believe her if she said she was talking to a fairy. "Sorry..."

"It's alright." Gumball said as he came down the steps. Wait, what was he doing down here, she thought.

"What are you doing down here?" Aelita asked. "Can't sleep?"

"Sort of..." Gumball said. "I'd figured you might want some company. You?"

"Same here." Aelita said. "It kinda feels different, sleeping on a couch instead of the ground."

"Well, at least it's comfy." Gumball said as he hopped onto the couch, sitting next to her. The girl nodded at his comment. The two just sat there, trying to think of what to say. The girl looked at the blue cat, realizing what the fairy was telling her. He's the one she should thank. After all, he did save her.

"Thanks for saving me." Aelita said. "That was really brave of you."

"No problem." Gumball said. "I just didn't expect to see you there, and see something like that happen to you." Another pregnant pause came. Speaking of pregnant, the blue cat glanced at the girl, and then his eyes were set on to the bump on her belly. So many thoughts and questions were going on in his mind. He really did feel something move in her stomach, and so did his mom. So it had to be a baby. But, how did she end up pregnant? Was it possible that someone forced themselves upon her before she came here? That belly looked rather big for it to just happen in a day. She seems to be eight months along. Well, he had to ask her.

"Um... can I ask you a question?" Gumball asked.

"Does it have anything to do with why my stomach looks big?" Aelita asked.

"Uh... yes?" Gumball said with a nervous smile. The girl sighed.

"Go ahead." She said.

"Um... are you... expecting?" Gumball asked. "You know, I mean, are you pregnant?" The girl gave a weak nod. Yes, she was pregnant.

"Oh, I see." The blue cat continued. "So... how did it happen? Did someone... force themselves on you? Were you... abused?" The girl turned her head, feeling reluctant to answer.

"Something like that." She said.

"Oh..." Gumball said as he looked away. "I'm sorry for bringing it up."

"It's ok." Aelita said. Looking back at the girl, he moved a bit closer. No, he was not going to make a move with her, no. There was one thing he wanted to ask her.

"Um... may I... feel it?" Gumball asked. "I mean, your tummy?" The girl tilted her head. He wants to feel her tummy, to feel the baby that is inside her?

"Of course." She said as she shifted her body to face toward him. She lifted her dress up a bit, revealing the surface of her stomach. Gumball noticed that she wasn't wearing panties, but pink leggings. Thank god, he thought. He wasn't ready to see panties yet. Anyway, he slowly placed his paw on the surface of her stomach, feeling the roundness in her gut. The girl felt a bit relieved as she felt his warm paw slowly moving across her bump.

"Wow..." He said. "That's amazing. What does it feel like, having a baby inside you?"

"It's... interesting..." Aelita said. "I've been carrying her for months now."

"Her?" Gumball asked.

"I don't really know the gender, actually." Aelita said. "But she isn't as active, so I figured it's probably a girl."

"Makes sense." Gumball said. "So, have you been feeling all those pregnancy symptoms, you know like nausea and back pain?"

"Unfortunately yes." Aelita said. "I've vomited a couple times last week, even yesterday."

"Ahhh." Gumball said, and his eyes were set on her stomach. She must've been through a lot to get up to being pregnant.

"Has it been... rough?" Gumball asked.

"Yes." Aelita said, her hand upon her stomach as well. "It's been pretty rough. I never did ask for this. And, I don't know what I'm going to do." The blue cat looked at the girl, seeing her saddened. And he knew why. She was lost, alone, no family to go to. She never asked to be a mother. She was too young. Not wanting her to feel sad, he placed his paw on her shoulder.

"It'll be ok." Gumball said. "Things may look bad right now, but it'll get better. Somehow." The girl looked at the blue cat, who gave her an assuring smile. She smiled back, feeling a keen feeling of hope as she stared at his face.

"Thanks, Gumball." Aelita said, giving the blue cat a stroke on the head. Her hand rubbing his head made him purr and move a bit, like a cat would when they would get petted once and a while.

"Well... I better let you rest." The blue cat, ready to get up. But then, his hand was grabbed her another hand. Her hand. He turned back to look at her.

"You can sleep with me, if you want." She said. The blue cat blushed as he heard that. She wanted him to be next to her? He couldn't tell what was happening. But something in his heart was telling him to stay. He wanted to stay. He wanted to stay next to her. Giving a smile, he leaned onto the count, adjusted himself, giving a little pur as he slipped next to Aelita, his head just a little bit above her stomach.

"Thanks..." He said. "Good night, Aelita."

"Good night, Gumball." She said. "And thank you..." To his surprise, she pecked him on the forehead with a kiss. Despite the blush, he gave a smile. Whatever he was feeling right now, it felt good, being next to her. He nuzzled under her chin, and the two went off to sleep, completely unaware of Nicole watching from the stairway, giving a warm smile.

* * *

**And that's the end of this chapter!**

**I won't lie, the whole grilled cheese thing is what I do most of the time. Whenever I make Grilled Cheese, I would sometimes put different slices of cheeses, american, swiss, colby, monterey jack, and whatever cheese I can get my hands on. With the right combination, the whole sandwich tastes sooo good!**

**Now, for Anais's behavior acting a little hostile toward Aelita. She's a little suspicious having some homeless person on the streets staying with them. But hey, she'll probably warm up... eventually.**

**And the fairy... I'm sure you already know who it is.**


	5. Chapter 5: Happy Helper

**Alright, here's the next chapter for the story. This chapter focuses a bit on the Watterson family with Aelita staying with them. Hope you enjoy, and I added a little reference to one of the past episodes.**

* * *

_**Chapter 05: Happy Helper**_

"Caught something yet?"

"No, not yet."

"How much longer is this going to take?!"

"Don't pressure him."

The sound and voices were beginning to awaken him. Gumball slowly opened his eyes, and to his surprise, he saw that he was on the couch, covered in a blanket that wasn't his. Looking around, he saw Darwin sitting right near his feet, with the video game controller in his arms. He must've came down her to play video games. That could explain why he heard the voices when he woke. He heard the SFX and dialogue from the game.

Turning his head, he noticed a bump next to his face, and a person right close to him. Glancing upward, he saw that it was Aelita, the girl he met yesterday.

Oh, that's right. He brought Aelita to his house after he and Darwin saved her from being sexually assaulted last night. He remembered convincing his mom to let her stay with them for a couple days. And today was Wednesday, and she had to leave Friday, so it was just two more days until she gets the boot.

But seeing her sound asleep brought a smile to his face. She's so beautiful when she's asleep, he thought. Wait, where did that come from? The blue cat blushed and shook his head. He slowly lifted himself up and away from Aelita, who shifted a bit on her side, still asleep. Gumball then glanced over to see Darwin.

"Hey, dude." He said, lifting himself up to sit up. "Whatcha doin'?"

"Playin' Dominion Core III." Darwin said. Yes, Darwin was playing the game from the trailer the two saw yesterday.

"Oh, really?" Gumball asked. "What level are you at?"

"Just the beginning." Darwin said. "Got done with the Prologue, the Wedding and Invasion and what not. Now we're getting to the open world journey back home." Gumball glanced at the tv screen, seeing the character going fishing, trying to catch some fish.

"Have you caught something yet?" Maurado asked on the screen.

"It takes patience." Jadyn said on the screen.

"I see that you're at the fishing tutorial." Gumball said.

"Yeah, I've been trying to catch some fish for almost 30 minutes, but I can't get any of them to notice the bite." Darwin said. Gumball rolled his eyes. Darwin was having trouble with the game, so might as well help him.

"Dude, you see the map at the top right corner?" Gumball asked. The fish then glanced at the game's HUD, seeing the circular image at the top right corner.

"Yeah, I see it." Darwin said.

"Ok, now do you see those little white dots on the map in the water?" Gumball asked. Darwin then looked back at the map and saw the white dots.

"Yes, I do." Darwin said.

"Those are the fish." Gumball said. "And that swirling cursor on the map is the aim where you want to throw the line. Just move the analog stick across the water, but use the map to get a good positioning of the spot to throw the lure. Make sure the dot is inside the cursor before you cast your line, alright?"

"Ok." Darwin said as he got the cursor over the white dot. As he did, the marker in the game began to glow yellow.

"Now cast." Gumball said. Darwin then pressed the X button, and then Jadyn cast the line into the water. As bait landed into the water, suspenseful music began to play. Then the fish nearby, made it's way toward the bait.

"Now, lure it in gently." Gumball said, with Darwin slowly tapping the X button again to pull the line, as the fish slowly, then quickly made its way toward the bait. With a quiet bite, the game's point of view went back to Jadyn.

"I caught something!" He shouted.

"Pull it in!" Maurado's voice spoke.

"AHHH!" Darwin said. "What do I do now?"

"Hold down X to lure it in, but be sure you shift to the direction the fish is going so the lure doesn't wane down!" Gumball said. "If you see a line and words that say stress, let go of X, otherwise you'll break the line!"

"Got It!" Darwin said as he tried doing what Gumball said. "AHHHHHH! I don't know what to do now!" The fish with legs began to panic, making the blue cat roll his eyes.

"Aww, man." Gumball said, as he took the controller. "Let me." The blue cat then went straight to work. With multiple button presses and precise analog movements, Gumball began to reel in the fish in the game without barely any trouble and with ease.

"Got it." Gumball said with a smile.

"Wow..." Darwin said.

"Hey, check this out!" Jadyn called inside the game, pulling in the fish, and then suddenly, Maurados jumped into the water and grabbed a hold of the fish, which was actually pretty big and large, about the length of both his arms!

"Nice on, Jadyn!" Maurados said.

"That is quite a catch." Kunichi said.

"Dude, you are awesome!" Twigs said.

"What can I say?" Jadyn said with a wink and head scratch.

"Dude, that was Titan Bluefin Tuna!" Darwin said. "One of the biggest fish in the game! You are a pro!"

"What can I say?" Gumball said, in the same tone Jadyn said on TV. "Though I shouldn't take the credit. You managed to get it to bite the bait." As he said those words, he gave his fish brother a shoulder hug.

"Guess I'm your good luck charm." Darwin said. Next to them, Aelita slowly began to open her eyes, finally waking up. She tilted her head a bit to see Gumball and Darwin, who both responded by looking back at her.

"Oh, hey." The blue cat said. "You're awake."

"Yeah..." Aelita siad as she lifted herself up to sit properly. "What's going on?"

"We're playing video games." Gumball said.

"What are you guys playing?" Aelita asked.

"Dominion Core III." Darwin said.

"It's a crossover with Square Box's universe merging with the universes of Warner Dudes, Hashro, and of course Hanna-Bandana." Gumball said. "You know, all those cartoon shows and movies meets anime and _Last Reverie_."

"It's pretty much the last game." Darwin said. "But they so ended it with a bang!"

"Uh-up-up-up-up!" Gumball said as he covered Darwin's mouth. "No spoilers, please. We do not want to hear spoilers."

"But didn't you beat this game eight months ago though?" Darwin asked.

"Yeah, but we don't want to spoil it for her." Gumball said, pointing towards Aelita.

"Huh." The girl said. "So, who are you playing as?"

"I play as Jadyn Caelus, the hero of the story, though his friends are also the heroes of the story too." Gumball said, using the camera in the game to show good views of the character he played, while moving him and his party around. "He's the son of King Regalius of Auroria, and the brother of Noctanius Caelus. He wields the mighty keysword, a weapon that can destroy the bane of evil and darkness."

"And those three guys are his buddies." Gumball said, showing the three other characters behind Jadyn as he moved the character around. "The big dragon is Maurado, the strongman who uses a massive greatsword and a kite shield. The samurai with the fedora is Kunichi, the noble man uses a Katana and a shruiken. And the small cat is Twigs, the comical loudmouth who uses a crossbow and guns."

"So, where's the car again?" Maurado asked on the screen.

"We're likely lost." Kunichi said.

"At least it's not my fault." Twigs said.

"Good news is we got reception." Jadyn said as he looked up his phone, getting the GPS tracking on. "We head this way through the woods, we'll find the car." As they went closer, they noticed something unusual about the area around them. There were dead animals all around them, most of them eaten up.

"Whoa... what happened here?" Twigs asked.

"Something must've ate them up." Jadyn said. "But what?" Suddenly, there was sudden rumble.

"What was that?" He asked.

"Hold up!" Maurado said as he stepped forward, preventing Jadyn from going further. "You hear that?"

"Hear what?" Jadyn asked. Then suddenly, there was a low growl from afar. Maurado gave a nod, and he and the others hid behind the massive bark, and slowly moved toward the edge, to see where the growl came from. Looking forward, they saw a massive cat like beast with horns, and a long spiked tail. On it's left side, his left eye seemed to be red, showing that it was probably blind on that side.

"Uh oh..." Darwin said as he watched on the couch, feeling fear.

"What is that thing?" Aelita asked.

"Dread Eye..." Gumball hissed. "Our first Boss of the game." On the TV, the mighty dread eye let out a huge roar.

"Dread Eye." Maurado said. "Name says it all."

"Finally we get to kill something." Jadyn said.

"We're seriously gonna take that thing on?!" Twigs asked.

"You got any better things to do?" Jadyn asked.

"Let's not strike yet." Kunichi said. "Going out there would leave us heavily exposed." Taking a look beyond the beast, the samurai spotted an explosive barrel in front of the beast.

"If the legends are true, and his species are weak against fire, then perhaps we should light that barrel up." He said, pointing at the barrel.

"Alright then." Jadyn said as he summoned his keysword, and the tip lit up with a orangish red flame.

"Wait for it... wait for it..." Kunichi said as the beast slowly moved toward the barrel until it was right under him.

"NOW!" Kunichi shouted

"FIRE!" Jadyn called out as his keysword fired a fireball at the barrel, making it explode. The explosion was so powerful that Dread Eye yelped back as it was engulfed in flames, making it roar in anger and pain, showing that it's truly weak against fire.

"Now's our chance!" Maurado called out.

"Then let's have it." Kunichi said as the party prepared for battle.

"Hold on, I get this." Gumball said as he flipped the controller in his hand, and began to get in the zone. Getting in the zone is where you play the game, ignoring the boundaries in and out of the game and play with style and expertise. In the game, Jadyn and his party were fighting against the savage Dread Eye. The character, controlled by Gumball, was using amazing hack and slashing skills while the other characters fought as CPUs. With Gumball being a pro gamer, he dodged whatever was coming toward him.

"Wow, you're pretty good." Aelita said. "How do you play it?"

"It's simple." Gumball said. "It's a JRPG, which is Japanese Role-Playing Game, with real-time battle system, with ATB elements."

"A...T...B?" Aelita asked.

"Active Time Battle." Gumball said. "Beneath the character's health and magic bars are two ATB bars. It's filled slowly over time, but fills much faster when you land attacks. When one bar or both bars are full, you can enter Tactical Mode. Example." Using his controller, Jadyn moved forward and threw an attack. Pressing the circle button, the characters and environment froze completely, but the camera moved around them slowly. As it did, the command menu on the left opened up, revealing a list of abilities such as Fire Raid, Blitz, and Potion x3.

"Time freezes around you when you enter Tactical Mode." Gumball said. "This gives you an advantage to coordinate your attacks, while taking your time to choose which ability you want to use. Dead Eye here is weak against fire attacks. And I got Fire Raid equipped. So, let's use it." Selecting the command, time resumes, and Jadyn leaps back.

"RAID!" He shouted as his keysword is enveloped with flames. He throws it forward, striking the monster in the face, before coming back like a boomerang. The attack has a unique ability, setting ablaze any enemy that is struck by the attack. Dread Eye was engulfed with small flames.

"Yes!" Gumball said.

"Quick, switch characters!" Darwin shouted. Pressing the R1 button on the controller, and the camera shifts to Twigs, who is holding a pistol and crossbow.

"Let's do this!" Twigs said. At Gumball's command, Twigs fired bullets and arrows at the monster from afar.

"I also have my shortcuts available too." Gumball said as he pressed L1, showing a shortcut menu which displayed Din's Arrow, Starshell, and Potions x2. "So if I want to select one of my own favorites..." Pressing a button to select Din's Arrow, Twigs fires an arrow of flames right at Dread Eye, which explodes upon impact. "I can just use the shortcut."

"You can also give commands to your teammates." Darwin said. "Gumball, can you demonstrate?"

"Of course." Gumball said, and with the circle button, he entered Tactical Mode again. He then selected abilities, and pressed the directional buttons to select Maurado and Kunichi's abilities. He selected Earthshatter for Maurado and then he selected Ninja Strike for Kunichi. Back on the screen, Maurado performed his Earthshatter abilities, leaping up and slamming his greatsword onto Dread Eye, while Kunichi, tilted his fedora and threw his star forward before giving a mighty swing with his sword. The boss's health was at critical level, in which the image of the triangle button appeared on screen.

"Oh! Oh!" Darwin said. "Now it's time for the Finish!"

"And now, as I press Triangle..." Gumball said as he pressed the button. "We can finish the battle." On screen, the four heroes joined together.

"Ok, ready?" Jadyn asked.

"Ready!" Twigs and Maurado called out.

"Now... OVERWHELM!" Kunichi shouted, and the boys went all out on Dread Eye, with Twigs firing bullets rapidly, Maurado swinging and bashing his greatsword and shield, Kunichi slicing through with his katana, and Jadyn, performs an aerial sweep strike, then swings multiple slashes before leaping into the air and comes down with one last blow, striking through the boss, making it collapse onto the ground, dead.

"And that's how it's done." He said as he spun his keysword.

"YAAAY!" Gumball and Darwin cheered as they both high fived each other.

"Wow." Aelita said. "You're really good."

"The last two games trained me for it." Gumball said. "I'm a little bit rusty though. Haven't played this game for a while."

"Why's that?" Aelita asked.

"Well, a while back, Gumball los-" Darwin said, only for his mouth to be closed by the blue cat.

"Darwin...!" Gumball said, staring at the fish, though his eyes looked sad suddenly. "Don't..."

"Oh... sorry." Darwin said, zipping his mouth. Then suddenly, Aelita couldn't help but give a weak cough. She suddenly felt her throat feeling dry. She needed something to drink.

"You have any water?" She asked.

"Sure, the cups and glasses are in the cupboard near the fridge." Gumball said.

"Thanks." Aelita said as she got up and went into the kitchen to get a glass of water.

"Now, let's keep going." Gumball said as he continued looking at the screen, using his controller to continue the game. Richard then came down the stairs, waking up with his sleep clothes on. He let out a yawn.

"Hey champs, whatcha' playin'?" He asked.

"Dominion Core III." Gumball and Darwin said.

"Cool." Richard said. "You guys don't mind me, I'm just gonna sit here." He then made his way to the recliner chair next to the window. On the stairway, Nicole was coming down, holding two baskets of laundry. And they were big baskets, one consisting of Richard's clothes, which were big too, and the other consisted of Gumball's clothes, which were many copies of his iconic sweater, and pants. The mama cat was having difficulty carrying both baskets, and it was a doozy.

"Boys, can you help me out here?" Nicole asked.

"In a minute, mom." Gumball said as he was still in the zone, while Darwin was watching. Nicole only gave a sigh, and saw Richard getting to the chair.

"Richard, can you give me a hand, please?" Nicole asked, only for the big rabbit to sit on the recliner and doze off to sleep. Seeing this made Nicole only grumble.

"Why can't anyone give me a-" She said.

_-Crack-_

"Ahhh! Ah,ah!" Nicole spoke as she felt her back locking into place. "My back..." Coming into the living room, Aelita saw Nicole freezing in place, holding the two laundry baskets, in pain.

"Oh my goodness, let me help you!" Aelita said as she made her way to the stairs and grabbed ahold of the baskets, allowing Nicole to move and feel the heaviness lifted off of her.

"Oh, thank you Miss Aelita." Nicole said. "Though I don't know if you should be helping me carrying this, especially with... um... you know." Nicole said, her head pointing toward's Aelita's stomach.

"It's fine, Mrs. Watterson." Aelita said. "You look like you could use the help." Both of them gripping the baskets, the two made their way into the washing room, which luckily for them, was on the same level as the living room and the kitchen. The two managed to put the baskets on the ground, much to Nicole's relief.

"Thank you so much, dear." Nicole said as she tried to straighten her back.

"Are you alright, Mrs. Watterson?" Aelita asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine..." Nicole said as she felt a crack in her back, getting it back in place. "I'm quite used to it..." The mama cat let out an exhausted sigh, and a very tired, yet stressed out face, much to the girl's notice.

"Oh, my." Aelita said. "You look stressed."

"Actually, I'm beyond stressed." Nicole said. "I deal with this stuff everyday. Richard just sits down on the couch, or chair, and does nothing, and the boys usually do their own stuff. Actually, this is the first time I've seen this in a long time."

"In a long time?" Aelita asked. "It's not usually like this?"

"No, it is." Nicole said. "Stuff happened in the previous year and everything quieted down." Nicole said. "But now, it looks like everything's getting back to normal. And if I'm honest, I really missed it."

"So, you do all the house work?" Aelita asked.

"Yep." Nicole said. "Usually I'm the one who does all the house work, and the working at my job, and I come home to usually a mess or everyone doing nothing. Sometimes I just wish I had someone to help me. But the boys get wrapped up in their games and crazy antics, Richard just sits all day or joins them on a few occasions, and Anais, well, she's only six. It would be nice if someone just take a few minutes of their time and help me out!" As Nicole continued on with her sentences, her voice started getting louder, and angrier. All the stress she deals with always takes a tone on her behavior, to the point where she can be violent, but she would never lay a hand on her family.

"Sometimes I just wanna... wanna...!" Nicole said, then suddenly she slammed her fist into the wall... literally. Aelita was quite surprised, but seeing the mama cat stressed out was a bit too much. The girl went behind Nicole and rubbed her shoulders, giving her some relief.

"You look like you have anger issues." Aelita said.

"Yes, I do." Nicole said. "It's been like this ever since I was little. My parents have been so demanding of me when I was child. They put a lot of pressure on me, forcing me into so many extracurricular activities. My mom always demanded perfection, and my dad has some rage of his own back then, and I suppose I inherited both of those traits. Don't get me wrong, I love my family, but sometimes I can't help but get angry at them when they do something... chaotic."

"Well, have you tried breathing exercises?" Aelita asked.

"Breathing exercises?" Nicole asked.

"Yes." Aelita said. "That's what my friends do when they get stressed out. Try it with me." The girl took in a slow deep breath, and so did Nicole. Then they both let it out slowly. They inhaled once more, and then exhaled. Inhaled. Exhaled. After a couple more times, Nicole finally felt herself feeling more calmer and less stressed.

"Wow, I feel a lot better now." Nicole said. "Thank you."

"It's no problem at all." Aelita said.

"Now if only I can convince the boys to help me with the house work though." Nicole said, looking back at the boys and Richard sleeping on the recliner.

"Why don't you lay down and rest." Aelita said. "I'll take care of the laundry." Hearing that made Nicole turn her head with concern.

"Are you sure?" she asked. "I don't want you to put too much on yourself. Plus, the baby-"

"I'll be fine." Aelita said. "And I'll get the boys to help out too."

"Oh, thank you." Nicole said as she gave the girl a hug, and after patting her head, the mama cat went upstairs to rest, passing Anais, who was just coming out of her room.

"Mom?" Anais asked, seeing mom going into her own room. "Aren't you suppose to be doing laundry?"

"No, Aelita's gonna take care of it, while I take a short nape." Nicole said as she went inside and laid face first on the bed, suddenly falling to sleep. Anais looked back down the stairway, seeing Aelita about to talk to the boys, who were still playing their video games, and Richard, still sleeping on the couch.

"Say guys, you wanna help me with the-" Aelita said.

"I said in a minute." Gumball said as he was still in the zone, playing the game on the screen, and Darwin still watched. The girl only stood there, seeing the two not looking back. She approached him and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Gumball." She said, this time, the cat turned his head to see her, finally out of the zone, and their noses touched. This made the two blush suddenly.

"Yes, Aelita?" Gumball asked with a smile.

"Can you help me with the laundry?" she asked. The blue cat's eyes widened, realizing that it was her who asked him that, not mom.

"Wait, why are you doing the laundry?" he asked.

"To help your mom out." Aelita said. "You wanna help? I could really use it." Gumball stared at her and then at the TV, where his characters were just idling.

"Well, I-" Gumball said, looking back at her, but then his eyes went back to the girl's belly, which housed the baby that was sleeping inside her. He then looked back at her. Thoughts were going into his head. He couldn't just let Aelita, this poor pregnant girl, do laundry all by herself. He gave a smile.

"Sure, I help ya." He said as he paused the game. "Let me save real quick." He then saved his game and then turned off the console. He then turned to Darwin, who was surprised that the screen turned off.

"Hey, why's the screen off?" Darwin asked.

"C'mon, buddy." Gumball said. "Let's help Aelita to the laundry."

"But doesn't Mrs. Mom do the laundry?" Darwin asked.

"Yes, but Aelita's doing it and we should help her." Gumball said.

"Why?" Darwin asked. "She can do it herself." That was met with a slap on the fish's cheek. "Ow!"

"Darwin!" Gumball spoke. "Don't be disrespectful. Look at her. She's pregnant. We can't let her do all that laundry all by herself." Looking back at Aelita, and then at the bump on her belly. The blue cat leaned in with his ear against it.

"What's that?" He asked, speaking to the girl's tummy. "You want us to help your mommy with the laundry?" Darwin looked at Gumball confused.

"Dude, are you talking to her stomach?" He asked.

"No, I'm talking to the baby." Gumball said as he patted the girl's stomach. "They can hear too, you know." Feeling his paw on her bump made Aelita blush a little bit, but smile a little too. Darwin then gave a sigh and a smile.

"Ok, let's go do some laundry." Darwin said as he got off the couch and the three headed for the laundry room, while Anais came down the stairs and followed them, to see what they were doing. As they went into the room with the washing machine and the baskets of clothes, they got straight to work. First they set it to the right water temperature settings before starting everything. As they turned on the water to fill it up, they put in the Detergent in next and then they tossed the clothes inside. Luckily, all the clothes fit in, especially Richard's own clothes. They closed the washer and let it run.

"So how long we wait until they're done?" Gumball asked.

"About thirty minutes." Aelita said.

"Ok, then we wait." Gumball said.

"You guys are doing laundry?" Anais asked as she came into the room, getting their attention.

"Well yes." Gumball said.

"I thought _she_ was going to do the laundry." Anais said, pointing to Aelita.

"Yes, but we decided to help." Darwin said. Anais just stood there, looking at the three with suspicion. The boys never do the laundry. Is this stranger manipulating them? She just shrugged it off. At least they were not using the TV anymore.

"Well, I'm going to go watch TV, and it's mine until the end of the afternoon." Anais said.

"Why?" Gumball asked.

"Because, they're airing the _Daisy the Donkey Two Hour Special Spectacular_ Today." Anais said. "No way I'm missing that." She then made her way back to the living room, sat on the chair and turned on the TV, which showed a puppet of a pink donkey adorable donkey with a yellow muzzle.

"Hi, everybody!" Daisy, the donkey puppet said. "Welcome to the Daisy the Donkey Show! Today we're celebrating with a whole long marathon of our show! And later this noon, we're gonna be showing our special Two Hour Long Special Spectacular! It's so Spectacular, it's Two Hours Long!" As the theme song of the show started to play, the bunny on the couch moved her head with the rhythm, while the three standing next to her only watched the screen.

"This is a kid's show?" Aelita asked.

"It's suppose to be." Gumball said. "But in reality it's dumbing down all the nation of children while cashing in on merchandise."

"And to be honest, _Pretty Pretty Ponies_ is a better show." Darwin said. "It teaches us about friendship and all the good things in life. But this... has none of that." They looked back at the screen, seeing the Daisy puppet whacking itself on Sally the Snake.

"It's kind of revolting, really." Gumball said, then turned his head back at the kitchen. "Those clothes should be finishing up real soon. But it's gonna be difficult for us to hang them up outside though." The trio then noticed Richard sleeping on the couch.

"And we know that he's not gonna help us." Darwin said.

"Have you tried asking him?" Aelita asked.

"Trust me, he won't do it." Gumball said. "He comes up with a stupid excuse."

"Let me ask them then." Aelita said as she approached the sleeping rabbit.

"Mr. Watterson?" She asked as she poked him.

"AHHH!" Richard shouted as he almost flailed his arms out. The sudden poke made him get ready to scream in terror. But as he opened his eyes and saw Aelita, he quickly stopped himself.

"Oh, it's just you." He said. "Sorry, I thought you were a needle or something." The girl looked at him confused, but she shook her head.

"Anyway, would you mind helping us with the laundry?" Aelita asked. Hearing that made Richard gasp with hesitation. He didn't want to do house work.

"Oh, I wish I could, but I can't." Richard said.

"Why not?" She asked.

"You see, I suffer from a condition called Laziness." Richard said. "It's where I'm incompetent of doing anything." The girl tilted her head.

"That's not... a condition." Aelita said. "That's just a poor excuse to do nothing."

"Well, it's the same thing." Richard said.

"No it's not." Aelita said.

"It is to me." Richard said with his eyes closed and arms crossed.

"Well you can't just sit in that chair and do nothing." Aelita said. "I mean, didn't you know that Mrs. Watterson was struggling getting the laundry downstairs?"

"Aww, c'mon." Richard said. "She didn't look that bad."

"She froze in place and her back nearly snapped." Aelita said.

"She's used to it." Richard said. "Besides, I said I'm incompetent."

"Mr. Watterson, you're just making another pointless excuse." Aelita said. "You can't just sit in that chair forever. I mean, the next thing you know, the whole house could go down right on you. Do you really want that?" The rabbit opened his one eye and began to think. Suddenly, his eyes began to water up. She was right, Nicole has been struggling keeping the house clean and providing for the family, and he wasn't doing squat. It was not a condition he had. It was just a stupid excuse to get out of helping someone.

"BAWHAHAHAHAW!" Richard screamed as he began to cry. "Aw, who am I kidding? I'm such a slob! I'm an embarrassment to my own family! Why can't I do anything?" The massive big rabbit only continued his sobs. Feeling sorry for him, the girl gave him a hug.

"Oh, it's alright." She said. "You're not an embarrassment to your family. You just need to support them that's all."

"But how?" Richard asked. "I wanna help my family, but I don't know where to start."

"You know, you can get a job." Aelita said.

"But there's not a single place that I like to work at." Richard said. "Plus, getting a job is so hard."

"Have you tried putting in a resume online?" Aelita asked.

"No, not really." Richard said. "Everytime I use the internet, it makes me do stupid stuff, or makes something bad happen. Like that time when I used it to find a babysitter for Anais and ended up getting the house flooded, and when it said that I was bald and too fat, making me buy muscle suppliments but accidently fed it to the kids." The girl looked at the rabbit with a bit of confusion. All that happened because he used the internet? Regardless, she couldn't help but giggle at the silly situations.

"How about me and the boys help you find a job." Aelita said.

"You will?" Richard asked, his voice full of excitement.

"Of course." Aelita said. "So long as you promise to help us hang up the laundry."

"It's a deal!" Richard said. "Oh, Thank You!" He then proceeded and gave her a big hug. Luckily he knew not to hug her too tightly. Gumball and Darwin stood there in deep surprise. She actually managed to convince him to help.

"Wow... you're amazing." Gumball said.

"It took us ages to get him to do anything." Darwin said.

"You got the magic touch or something." Gumball said.

"Oh, it's nothing really." Aelita said.

"Well, since we have a few more minutes before the laundry is done, we better help dad find a job." Gumball said.

"But what job can we find for Mr. Dad?" Darwin asked.

"Well, let's go check online." Gumball said. "There's a site there that can help people get jobs."

"Alright then!" Richard said. "To The Computer!" And in an instant, the four made their way to the computer in Gumball's room. Anais looked on up as they left. She was actually surprised. No doubt she saw that girl convince her dad to help them with the laundry. But finding him a job would be so difficult. Wanting to see them struggle, Anais decided to follow them up there to see what they were doing. She leaned her head in to see them on the computer.

"Find a job for dad?" Anais thought to herself. "Good luck with that."

"Ok... here we are." Gumball said as he finished logging into the job site. "What kind of job do you want?"

"I dunno." Richard said as he looked on the list. "There are so many jobs on here... Oh, wait, what's that one?!" He stopped the scrolling and saw one job that is open. The store for hiring was Fervidus Pizza, a pizza restaurant. Looking over the notes, reviews, and description, a smile formed on Richard's face.

"It says workers get free pizza every single day!" Richard said. "Yes, I want this job!"

"Ok then, let's do a resume." Gumball said as Aelita clicked on the mouse, opening up the resume page.

"Now all we have to do is type information about you." Aelita said.

"You mean credit card information?" Richard asked.

"No, just information about who you are and what you like." Aelita said.

"Ooooh, that makes more sense." Richard said. "So, what are my best qualities?"

"Well, Dad likes food." Gumball said.

"Right." Darwin said.

"And he's a happy guy." Gumball said.

"Right." Darwin said.

"And he doesn't want to stand up and walk around all the time." Gumball said.

"Right." Darwin said.

"He can drive." Gumball said.

"Right." Darwin said.

"He's a bit absent minded, but he's loads of fun." Gumball said. "He's the best father in the world, and I really mean it. He has a big appetite. He loves to sing." As Gumball went on and on about the qualities his father had, Aelita continued typing the information on the resume page, while Darwin kept saying "right" over and over. Pretty soon, the resume was complete.

"It's done." Aelita said.

"Yes!" Gumball, Darwin, and Richard said together.

"Now, you're sure you want this job?" Aelita asked.

"If it means supporting my family and getting free pizza, then yes!" Richard said happily.

"Then all we have to do is send it to the restaurant page." Aelita said as she sent the resume to the Pizza place's email. "And then we wait."

"Awww... are gonna have to wait all day-" Richard said.

_-BEEP-_

The sound of the notification tune rang from the computer, showing an email has been sent to Richard's Elmore Stream-It account. Opening the email, they saw it was a letter from Fervidus Pizza.

"Congratulations." Richard said. "You're one step closer to getting a job. Please come by tomorrow for an interview. Ooooh! I Got the Job!"

"No, you have an interview tomorrow." Gumball said.

"Aww." Richard said a bit disappointed.

"But it if goes right, you might get the job." Aelita said.

"Yes!" Richard said. From behind the door, Anais watched with surprise. Dad actually got an interview? What is this girl doing she thought to herself. She can't just change everything that they do here!

_-BEEP-_

Another beep came from downstairs, loud enough for Anais to nearly trip onto her head. The sound was coming from the washing machine, signaling that it's done.

"Oh, sounds like the laundry is done." Gumball said.

"Well, c'mon boys!" Richard said. "Let's go hang up some laundry!"

"OK!" The boys cheered as they and their father left the room, with the girl looked on with a smile.

"What are you doing?" A voice asked behind Aelita, making her turn to see Anais looking at her suspiciously.

"What?" Aelita asked.

"You know what I mean." Anais said. "Just because you're a guest here for a couple days doesn't give you the liberty in telling everyone what to do."

"What are you talking about?" Aelita asked.

"Oh, c'mon." Anais said. "You manipulated my brothers and my dad into doing work."

"No, I didn't." Aelita said. "I asked Gumball and Darwin for help, and they agreed to."

"Why, because you have the stomach of an fat elephant?" Anais asked. "Are you even pregnant to begin with?" The girl felt very offended hearing Anais say all those things to her.

"You know, that's not a very nice thing to say, Anais." Aelita said.

"Well, sorry for being rude Anita." Anais said.

"Aelita." Aelita said.

"Whatever, don't correct me." Anais said.

"Okaaay…" Aelita said, then looked back at the computer. "I better turn this off." She then moved to the mouse and clicked off the Internet Explorer, revealing a page of hearts and Daisy the Donkey. Anais's eyes widened, seeing the screen saver image. That's the image for her account! Anais must've left it on while watching Elmore Stream-it! yesterday night before mom got home! She saw Aelita the cursor toward the folder icon.

"NO!" Anais shouted. "Get away from there!" Her shout made Aelita nearly yelp, unintentionally clicking on the folder icon. The folder opened up and revealed several photos. But what's strange about it is that they were photos of Anais's brother, Gumball. Photos of him eating, on the couch, playing video games, and even pictures of him sleeping.

"AAAHHHH!" Anais screamed, her face entirely blushing as Aelita looked at the pictures.

"Why do you have pictures of your brothe-" Aelita asked.

"GET OUT OF THERE!" Anais shouted. "GET OUT! OUT! OUT!" She pushed Aelita away and closed the folder.

"What in the hell is wrong with you?!" Anais asked. "I told you not to!"

"I'm sorry, you just scared me." Aelita said. "I didn't mean-"

"That's enough!" Anais shouted. "I knew you were up to no good when I first saw you!"

"What is going on in here?" A voice asked. The girls turned to see Nicole, having heard the commotion.

"Mommy!" Anais shouted. "She hacked into my account!"

"No I didn't." Aelita said.

"Of course you did!" Anais said.

"We didn't know we were on your account." Aelita said. "We just turned the screen on and just used the internet."

"Well still, that doesn't give you the liberty to use it when my account is already open!" Anais said.

"But you weren't using it." Aelita said.

"Well... I forgot to turn it off last night." Anais said. "But still, you shouldn't be on my account when I'm using it!"

"How were you even using it?" Aelita asked. "You went downstairs to watch TV. Besides, you should always close your account before turning the screen off anyway." Nicole looked at the girls argue it out. But the mama cat knew Aelita was right. Anais should've logged off her account before turning the screen off.

"She does have a point, Anais." Nicole said. "You should always log out before turning the computer on. You're lucky the boys didn't see anything you want to keep private." The bunny's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. Her own mother is agreeing with this girl that she hasn't even known for a day?

"Wh... you're taking some stranger's side?!" Anais asked. "What kind of a mother are you, taking advice from some knocked up skank?!" Nicole gasped as she heard that.

"Anais, watch your mouth!" Nicole said.

"What are you going to do?" Anais asked. "Spank me, or smash the door again? You know that I'll contact children services if you do!" The mama cat gasped again, and then she sighed in defeat..

"You're just gonna take that?" Aelita asked Nicole.

"Well, what am I suppose to do?" Nicole asked. "I don't wanna spank my own kid. I'm not that kind of parent. Plus, she's the only smart one in this whole family."

"You don't have to use force, Mrs. Watterson." Aelita said. "Just set a limit on her."

"A limit?" Nicole asked. "You mean like a punishment?"

"Right." Aelita said. "She isn't suppose to talk back at you like that. She may be smart, but she is a child, and you are her mother." Nicole then gasped in realization. Aelita was right. She is the mom and Anais is her child. She wasn't going to take a threat or back talk from an intelligent six year-old.

"You're absolutely right." Nicole said with a smile.

"Huh?" Anais asked. "What's going on?"

"What's goin on Anais, is that you're being punished..." Nicole said to the bunny. "No TV until further notice." Anais gasped.

"What?!" Anais asked. "But the Daisy the Donkey Two Hour Special is coming on this noon! I can't miss it!"

"Sorry sweetie, but you should never back talk to a parent like that." Nicole said.

"I can't believe this!" Anais shouted. "Don't you see what's happening here?! This girl is trying to manipulate you, and you're falling right into her hands! You have to be an idiot to fall for this nonsense!" Nicole gasped once more.

"Anais Elizabeth Watterson!" Nicole shouted, but then stopped herself, trying to think of what to say. She then turned to Aelita.

"Um, what do I do?" Nicole asked her. "She just called me an idiot."

"I think that earned her a time out." Aelita said, with Anais's ears straightening up with shock.

"Right." Nicole said, then turned her attention back at the little bunny. "Anais, you just earned yourself a time out."

"WHAT?!" Anais shouted.

"Ah, Ah, Ah!" Nicole said. "Now go to your room and don't come out until I say you can." The bunny was about to speak, but she didn't. She just gave a defeated sigh. She keeps backtalking to her mom, she's just gonna make it worse.

"Fine." Anais hissed and then left the room to her own, slamming the door behind her. The mama cat, actually gave a sigh of relief.

"Wow, that felt much better." Nicole said. "Thank you, Aelita."

"Oh, it's nothing." Aelita said.

"You know, that's the first time I've actually managed to put my foot down with Anais." Nicole said. "Usually she would blame the boys and outsmart me with her vast knowledge, and come to think of it, she would sometimes manipulate me into punishing the boys for something that _she_ did wrong."

"Well, you just need to learn to read people, Mrs. Watterson." Aelita said. "I won't lie, she looks like someone who tried to kill her brothers ever since she was born."

"Come to think of it, no wonder most of the crazy traps I found were made with baby proof objects." Nicole said, and the two gave a chuckle.

"Hey, Aelita!" Gumball's voice came from outside. Turning their heads, they saw Gumball, Darwin, and Richard outside, finishing hanging clothes.

"You wanna come down and play some games with us?" Gumball asked. Aelita looked down and saw the blue cat, asking her to play with them.

"You go ahead." Nicole said as she patted the girl's head.

"Ok." Aelita said as she made her way out the room and down the stairs, heading outside. Nicole watched the girls join the boys in their outdoor fun. But Nicole's attention was drawn to her son, who was smiling. The mama cat couldn't believe it. Her son was smiling again. That was the first time she has seen him that happy before, ever since the incident involving Penny's death. Perhaps, there was hope for him yet.

* * *

A little while later, Anais was in her room on her bed. She was not having a good day. She was really hoping to watch the Daisy the Donkey Two Hour Special, but now she's punished and now she missed it. And it was that girl's fault. She managed to wrap her finger around her mom and make her own daughter look like the bad guy. And what's worse, she's getting the attention of her father, that little fish dumbhead, and her brother Gumball.

Gumball. She couldn't help but think about her brother. It has been a while now and her brother was fourteen years old, going on fifteen soon. He has been getting pretty tall, and... a bit cute and handsome. Since he started hitting puberty, she's been seeing him in a whole new light, so much that she's been starting to take pictures of him without him knowing. Either he was sleeping, eating, walking, sitting, or being naked, just seeing his face made her blush... and smile.

_-Knock Knock Knock-_

The knock on her door surprised her a bit, getting her out of her thoughts. She lifted her head up.

"Who is it?" Anais asked.

"It's just me, honey." Nicole's voice said. "Can I come in?"

"What do you want?" Anais asked as she turned her head. Opening the door, Nicole leaned her head in.

"Just wanna let you know that your punishment is over." Nicole said. Anais covered herself with her blanket, not wanting to talk to her.

"I can't believe you did that." Anais said. Nicole only sighed and came into the room.

"Listen, sweetie." Nicole said as she sat near her daughter. "I know you don't like it, but you can't back talk me like that. And it wasn't very nice of you to call Aelita a skank."

"Hey, I'm not the one who left my legs opened." Anais said.

"Anais, this is what I'm talking about." Nicole said. "You can't say those things." The bunny lifted her head up, but gave a sigh.

"I'm sorry mom." Anais said. "I just don't like Taelia."

"Her name is Aelita, sweetie." Nicole said.

"That's what I meant." Anais said. "She's a complete stranger, and she was on the streets. I don't feel comfortable having her here in our house. I'm afraid she might try to steal some stuff while she's here."

"You make a good point there, but she doesn't look like one to make trouble." Nicole said. "And besides, she's being very helpful around here in the house. I'm actually surprised she got the boys and your father to help her with laundry." Anais only lowered her head.

"It's almost as if you want her to stay with us." Anais said.

"She's not staying with us, Anais." Nicole said. "She'll be out of here this Friday. I'm sure you can handle a couple more days." The bunny gave a sigh.

"Ok." Anais said. "I guess I can manage until then."

"Thanks sweetie." Nicole said. "And if it makes you feel better, I recorded your Daisy the Donkey Special on the DVR. That way you won't miss it." Hearing that made the bunny smile.

"Thanks Mommy." Anais said as she gave her a hug. With that said, the bunny left her room with her mom and headed downstairs. She then heard laughter coming from outside. It was her brothers and her dad, with Aelita. Taking a look outside, the boys and Aelita were playing a strange looking game. Aelita was on the ground, and there were three action figures on the bump of her belly. The action figures were characters from the Dominion Core series. One action figure, played by Gumball, was of Jadyn Caelus. The second one, played by Darwin, was of an anthropomorphic unicorn girl. The third one, played by Richard, was the old wizard villain from the third game.

"Oh, Jadyn!" Darwin spoke with a high pitch voice. "Save me!"

"Let Dawn go, Aldamort!" Gumball shouted with his figurine.

"Never!" Richard shouted, moving his figure on Aelita's tummy. "At long last, I have the pure light in my hands, and I shall bring darkness into this world!"

"Not while I and my friends are here!" Gumball spoke, moving three other action figurines on the surface, all three of them are of Maurados, Kunichi, and Twigs.

"Yeah, you're going down Moldybutt!" Darwin spoke, moving Twigs. The three boys were laughing, while Aelita was laughing as she laid on the ground. Feeling the action figures move a bit on her pregnant belly made her feel ticklish. Anais was a bit confused by this and she moved down the steps.

"What are you guys doing?" She asked.

"We're reenacting scenes from the Dominion Core series with our actions figures." Darwin said.

"And we're using Aelita's tummy as a battleground." Gumball said. Anais only watched this and just thought of one thing for it. Dumb.

"This is so dumb." Anais said.

"Yeah, but it's a fun kind of dumb." Darwin said, with a laugh.

"Um... can I play along?" Anais asked.

"Sorry, sis." Gumball said. "But I don't think that's a good idea. Besides, you said that you don't want to play dumb anymore." Anais thought about is, and they were correct. A while back, when the boys and their dad were playing dumb stuff, Anais decided to join in on the fun, which resulted in Gumball getting jealous that she's taking his place and challenged her to a dumb race while wearing blind folds, which got them run over by Marvin Finklehimer, the red guy who's with the senior citizens.

"Oh yeah... because it hurt... So... BAD..." Anais spoke.

"And besides, I'm starting to feel a bit bored again." Gumball said, tossing his action figures to the side. "So, what do you guys wanna do now?" Darwin and Richard began to think.

"Oh, how about we go to that new Dance place in town?" Darwin asked.

"Oh yeah, the Hip Hop Club near the mall!" Richard said.

"The Hip Hop Club?" Aelita asked as she got back up on her feet. "What's that?"

"It's a new dance place that's near the mall." Richard said, giving Aelita a flyer that was in his pocket, which he probably left in there for some time. The girl looked at the flyer, and it read:

**Come to the New Hip Hop Club Today! Party Forever!**

"It just opened up recently, and it's a cool place to get down and boogey!" Richard said.

"Down and Boogey!" Darwin said. "So, can we go?"

"Definitely!" Richard said. "You wanna go too, son?"

"Well, that depends." Gumball said, then turned his head to Aelita. "Would you like to go?"

"I guess it won't hurt to go." Aelita said. "Though I don't know if I'm a good dancer, especially since, well... this." She points directly at her tummy.

"Ahh, it'll be alright." Gumball said. "You don't have to dance like crazy. You can either stand and watch, or just dance slowly." The blue cat then leaned his head near the girl's tummy.

"What do you think little gal?" He asked, his voice directly toward her bump. "You want mommy to come to the dance club with us?" Anais only watched her brother acting all ridiculous, speaking to some baby inside a girl's tummy. But then suddenly, hearing him speak so noble and kind, she couldn't help but blush, and stare at his face. His... handsome... cute... face.

"Anais?" Darwin asked as he nudged the bunny.

"HIYA!" Anais shouted as she slapped Darwin's face.

"OW!" The fish with legs said, rubbing his cheek. "That hurt." Realizing what she just did, the bunny tried to get herself together.

"S...Sorry..." She said as she rubbed her arm. Dang it, she thought. She was fantasizing about her brother again... Wait, what?

"Well, c'mon guys!" Richard said. "Let's go dancing!"

"YAY!" Gumball and Darwin cheered as the boys and Aelita went back into the house, with Anais following them.

"Hey, honey!" Richard said as Nicole came downstairs. "Me and the boys and their friend are going to the Dance Club down near the mall."

"Ok, but don't be out past 11:00 PM, alright?" Nicole said.

"Don't worry, honey." Richard said. "If we're late by any means, I'll take responsibility for it. Anyway, we'll be back before then."

"Wait, can I go with you?" Anais asked as she approached them. "I can do some dancing myse-"

"Oh, sorry honey." Richard said. "I'm taking our second car, and it'll only fit four of us."

"But I can squeeze in." Anais said.

"No can do, Anais." Richard said. "And besides, I don't think they'll let you in. It's not for someone your age."

"What?" Anais asked. "But I'm only six years old. I'm not a baby, dad."

"Well actually, the poster says that it only allows kids thirteen or older." Aelita said, pointing to the picture of the poster that said, "**Kids under the age of thirteen are not allowed!"** Anais was hoping she would not say that.

"What?!" Anais asked. "But Darwin's not older than thirteen! He's ten years old!"

"Yeah, but he'll get away with it." Richard said. "Kids ten years old and up can get in so long as their accompanied by a parent.

"I can't go in because I'm six years old?" Anais asked. "That's not fair!"

"Aw, I'm sorry sweetie." Nicole said as she gave a friendly pinch on her daughter's cheek. "But that's the rules. If it makes you feel better, I'm not going." The bunny only gave yet another defeated sigh.

"Well, looks like it's time for us to leave." Richard said. "C'mon guys. To the Dance Club!"

"YAAAY!" Gumball, Darwin, and Aelita called out and the four left the house, closing the door behind him. They got into the green car, and Richard started it up. The four took off down the street, leaving Nicole and Anais, the latter feeling a bit sad that she couldn't go. What was sad is that they took that girl instead of her. It was like she was being replaced.

"Did I just get replaced?" Anais asked.

"Oh no, honey, you're not getting replaced." Nicole said. "They're going someplace that's not for someone your age." The bunny gave another defeated sigh.

"Well, that's just great." Anais said. "I'm gonna go upstairs and use the computer."

"Ok, but not too long, ok?" Nicole said. "And stay away from sites that are not trustworthy, and remember to log out of your account this time, ok?!" Hearing that made Anais roll her eyes. They still treat her like a baby all the time! Well, she's six years old, but she's not a complete child. It was bad enough of her brothers to treat her like a toddler, but now her parents? This was just too much.

But that's not what's really bothering her. What's bothering her is that her brothers and father are taking that girl with them to the dance club instead of her. It's already been almost a whole day since Aelita's been here, and Anais is already not liking her. She actually managed to convince the boys to do her work, and helped Dad find a job when he's not suppose to have one? And she has mom under her control and treat Anais like the guilty one. It's like the whole world has gone mad. She had to get rid of her now. But how?

But then, an idea came to her head. As she made it to her room, she took a look at the computer. Aelita said that her parents are dead, and she has nowhere else to go. But what if she did. Maybe she might have a distant relative out there somewhere. If she can find a relative or friend to her family, then maybe she can get rid of her for good! She went up to the computer and turned it on. As it came on, Anais went to the web and began typing in information.

"Maybe I can find someone that can take her in and get her out of our hair already." Anais said as she began typing. "Ok, first name, Aelita." She typed in the name, and a list of results came up. But one result caught her eye, a link that was more than a decade old. She clicked on it.

"Alright, let's see what we got." Anais said as she read the material online. As she read, her face quickly shifted to confusion, then to a state of surprise, fear, and then shock! What she was looking at was an old news report, where it started with the words **WANTED** at the top.

"Wait a second..." She said. "Aelita Hopper... Franz Hopper... Illegal Activities? Fugitives?!" She then looked over this information again, and a sense of shock and fear was going through her entire body. This Aelita is not who she thought she was. She knew what she had to do.

"I need to tell mom!" She said.

* * *

It was around six since they left, and pretty soon, the Wattersons and their guest arrived at the place Darwin and Richard spoke about. The Hip Hop Club, one of the newest dance clubs in all of Elmore. Actually, it's the only dance club in the entire town. Surprisingly with the town's low economy, they were able to afford a dance club but not a new street or hospital? Regardless, it was a pretty neat place. Everybody was going in despite it was still light out, and though the sun hasn't reached the horizon just yet, the lights from the club were still visible inside and out. The four made their way to the doors.

"Wow, this looks nice." Aelita said.

"Pretty neat place." Gumball said. "So, how do we get inside? Do we need to pay?"

"Pay?" Richard asked. "No son, we don't need money to get into this club. We use my secret weapon."

"Secret Weapon?" Darwin asked. "What's that?"

"This!" Richard said as he began to pull his shirt, ripping it off to show his chubby abs, but a black vest that was under his shirt the whole time. He then drew a deadly unicorn with NICOLE under it on his arm. And with a loud grunt, a black mustache appears on his upper lip, along with wild mutton chop sideburns. Gumball and Darwin recognized this appearance. This was the same look Richard used when trying to help the boys get a refund for a game they bought a couple years ago at the Ripley 2000 video game store, only to end up trying to steal money and get beaten up by the manager, which was a small cute teddy bear with an anger problem.

"Uhhhh… you really think that's gonna work dad?" Gumball asked.

"Oh, don't worry, I've done this before." Richard said. "Watch." The pink rabbit made his way to the bouncer and looked at him in the eye, while the bouncer stared at Richard.

"You here to party?" The bouncer asked in a low voice.

"That's right." Richard said. "Me, my son, his girlfriend, and my adopted son would like to enter please." Gumball and Aelita tilted their heads.

"Girlfriend?" They both asked, but then they looked at each other for a second, then looked away with a blush, while Gumball face palmed his head. Dammit, dad, he thought. She wasn't his girlfriend. The bouncer looked at the two, then at the fish, and then back at Richard, who still kept his cool and showed his cool.

"Ok then." The bouncer said. "You may enter."

"Thank you, sir." Richard said with a nod, while Gumball and Darwin looked with disbelief.

"Wow..." They both said. "It actually worked."

"Told ya." Richard said. "Now c'mon on, let's go dancing!" He then went on ahead into the building, while the three followed in suit, and they both gasped as they saw what inside looked like. It was a huge room, with a disco ball at the ceiling, sparkling like a star in the sky. There were so many people inside too! Not only adults, but there were also teenagers, including some of Gumball's classmates, who were partying and rocking hard to the music.

"Whoa...!" Gumball said. "This place is amazing."

"And pretty big." Aelita said. "Way bigger than the gym at my school."

"You're school?" Gumball asked, in which the girl froze.

"I mean, the school that I visited one time before I came to Elmore." Aelita said. "They were having a party and I... snuck in to get some food." She gave a nervous smile while the blue cat looked at her. He gave a smile.

"You snuck in and took some food?" Gumball asked. "Wow... awesome." The girl tilted her head at his comment, but she shrugged it off and sighed in relief. The two went on in with Darwin and Richard, just as the DJ got up behind the desk with the turntables.

"Alright everybody in the H-H-HOUSE!" The DJ called out as everyone cheered. "Are you guys ready to party like it's the end of the world?!" The crowd let out a loud scream of excitement.

"Alright Motha-!" The DJ called out as the Microphone gave a little static while he cursed. "Let's PARTY!" He started playing on the DJ, and everybody began to dance like crazy as the doors closed up!

* * *

It has already been two hours since the Watterson boys, their dad, and Aelita arrived. Pretty soon, the party was calming down a bit, with everyone just dancing slowly and calmly, though about half the attendees inside were unconscious. They probably passed out from all the partying.

"Wow, everything went quiet all of a sudden." Aelita said.

"Yeah." Gumball said. "At least dad is still alive." Turning his head, he saw Richard sleeping, while eating the leftover food on the tables. He didn't want everyone's food to go to waste, though what he was doing was a bit disgusting. Darwin was also sleeping next to him. While the fish with legs loved to dance, he would sometimes tire out after an hour of dancing, especially in this large room full of people. Neverless, it was funny enough to make the two laugh.

"Alright everyone!" The DJ said. "It's time for the couples dance! Everyone who has a special someone get up and dance! We're gonna take it slooooow…" Then the speaker began to play Hardline's _This Love_ from their recent released album _Life_. Everyone then got together and danced slowly with one another. Alan and Carmen nuzzled close together, Teri held hands with Leslie, even Tobias was dancing with Banana Joe. The only two people who didn't have a partner was Gumball and Aelita.

"Heh, looks like we're the only ones who don't have a dance partner." Gumball said.

"Yeah." Aelita said with a nervous chuckle. The two just stood there, looking at the ground. Gumball looked at Aelita, and a thought came to his head. He extended his hand out, offering it to her.

"You... wanna dance?" Gumball asked.

"Huh?" Aelita asked.

"Well, you don't have a dance partner, I don't have a dance partner, so... why not?" Gumball asked. The girl looked at him, and gave a smile. She slowly took a hold of his hand, accepting his offer. Giving a smile, the two made their way to the dance floor, and they joined hands together, dancing slowly to the music.

"You know, it's been a while since I've danced with someone." Gumball said.

"Me too." Aelita said. "I've never actually had the chance to dance with anyone back where I came from."

"Yeah, my first dance was with someone I knew." Gumball said. "But... she's not here anymore."

"Oh." Aelita said. "Did she move away?" Gumball turned his head a bit, and suddenly he felt sad, as if he was ready to cry. But he shook it off.

"I don't wanna talk about it." He said.

"Oh, ok." Aelita said. "Well, if you do want to talk about it, I'm willing to listen." Hearing that made the cat smile.

"Hey, listen." Gumball said. "I just want to say, it's been fun having you at our place."

"Same here." Aelita said. "This is actually the most fun I've had since I came here." Hearing that made the blue cat smile. But before he could say anymore, Gumball's eyes widened a bit with realization, and then his face turned sad once more.

"What's wrong?" Aelita asked.

"It's just... I wish you could stay for real." Gumball said. The girl realized what he meant. She was only able to stay until Friday, and then she had to go. To be honest, she felt kinda sad too, but it wasn't because she only had to stay for a couple more days. It was because, she was just getting to know her new friend, a friend who jumped into the face of danger to save her.

"I wish I could stay too." Aelita said. "But, if I don't, I'll still be around. You can find me in the junkyard, or on the street if you want to talk or hang out again."

"Yeah, I guess." Gumball said. "But, let's not worry about that. Let's just focus on this."

"Ok." Aelita said. The two continued to dance slowly to the music, unaware that the lights were shining down on them, and everyone was watching them. For some reason, the two closed in to each other, and their bodies pressed against one another. Aelita moved her hands around Gumball's arms, and he did the same. Their bodies joined together, forming a hug. They both blushed at this, but yet they smiled.

"S...Sorry." Gumball said.

"It's ok." Aelita said. "If anyone should be sorry, it's me. I hope my belly's not poking you a bit."

"It's fine." Gumball said, his arms moved to her shoulders and back. As his stomach touched the surface of hers, his thin gut felt a slow movement inside the girl's stomach. It was probably the baby.

"Hey, I think I felt your baby." Gumball said as he and the girl glance down at her bump. She smiled.

"I think she likes you." Aelita said, with the blue cat giving a weak but happy smile, with his cheeks turning red.

"Hey Tina!" A voice called out, getting the two's attention. They turned to see Tina, who was holding Anton, the small bread creature. She was looking up at Hector, the purple giant, who offered his hand to her. "Can I have the next dance?"

"You can have this one." Tina said as she dropped the Anton, who screamed as he fell on the floor. Gumball and Aelita gave a chuckle, with the latter moving closer toward the blue cat, embracing him with a hug. Feeling her arms around him made his blush. But yet, it felt good. Whatever he was feeling, he was liking it, and didn't want it to end. He smiled and placed his hands on her shoulder and back, and the two continued to dance slowly to the music.

* * *

**Welp, that's the end of this chapter. I originally was gonna put some scenes regarding the Dominion Core thing, but I decided not to, because it's not relevant to the story.**

**Gumball describing how to play Dominion Core was heavily inspired and influenced by Square-Enix's Conference from E3 of how Final Fantasy VII Remake was going to be played, and I'm actually hyped up for it!**

**Chapter Six is going to be posted up next month, hopefully between the 5th and 12th of August. I'm going to be at BronyCon for the first couple days of August. I'll be partying with the bronies and ponies for a while, though I'm not sure if I'm staying for the whole thing.**

**I'll get the next chapter up when I get back from BronyCon. A bit of a warning though, Chapter Six will contain content not for the fainted hearted.**

**Until then, check out my other story Kingdom Hearts: Fractured Friendship, which is posted on FIMfiction. I plan to post a chapter tomorrow and the next week.**


	6. Chapter 6: Not Alone

**I was nervous to post this chapter because of the mature content mentioned, but here it is. Chapter 6 of the story. This is where the happy stuff goes away and all that. I mean, there's some remembering good times, but towards the end it gets dark pretty fast. I regret nothing... mostly... I'm gonna go throw up now.**

**My Code Lyoko Knowledge was a bit rusty so I did some research on and the wikia sites.**

_**WARNING: This chapter contains mentions of murder, torture, experimentation, sexual assault on a minor, and other themes that are not suitable for younger audiences. If you have a weak stomach, be very cautious. And please, do not show any hate to me. I am against all the nasty stuff I've wrote. This is all part of the plot.**_

* * *

**_Chapter 06: Not Alone_**

It was now 10:12PM right now, and Richard was pulling up to the front of the house. Pretty soon, He, Gumball, Aelita, and Darwin exited the vehicle, with the blue cat, fish with legs, and their father reciting lyrics from one of the songs that were played when they first entered the club, while Aelita couldn't help but laugh and smile as they continued to be silly.

"Man, this was the best day we've ever had!" Darwin said.

"I know, right?" Gumball said. "I haven't had this much fun since... like... forever now."

"Well, it's good to see you smiling again, son." Richard said.

"So, what did you think?" Gumball asked Aelita.

"That was actually pretty fun." She said. "And that was pretty sweet of you to dance with me."

"Awww, you know." Gumball said. "I didn't want to leave you hanging."

"Oh, well, thanks." Aelita said, giving a bit of a blush as the blue cat helped her up the steps and Richard unlocked the door with his key. He opened the door, and allowed the others to go in first.

"Well, since we arrived a little late, let's head upstairs and get ready for bed." Richard said as he closed the door. "We don't want your mother to know that we came home late."

"I already know..."

The whispering voice of Nicole made Richard, Gumball, and Darwin scream in surprise and horror, only to see the boys' mother, and Anais standing near the entrance of the kitchen, with the mama cat looking more concerned and distrustful rather than disappointed, and her daughter showing the same thing.

"Honey?" Richard asked. "How long have you two been standing there?"

"We just started standing here when we heard you guys pull up." Nicole said.

"Oh." Richard said. "Well, sorry that we came home a little late. I'll take full responsibility for it."

"Richard, I said you guys were allowed to be out until 11:00PM." Nicole said. "And surprisingly you came back about 45 minutes eariler than expected."

"Oh..." Richard said. "Then why do you and Anais look like we did something bad?"

"Guys, we need to have a family meeting." Nicole said, but then she turned her attention toward Aelita. "Aelita, why don't you go to the shed and go find my gardening gloves." Hearing that made the boys gasp.

"Are you gonna bury us?!" Gumball, Darwin, and Richard asked.

"No." Nicole said. Hearing that made the boys sigh in relief.

"Anyway, can you go get them?" Nicole asked the girl next to them.

"Oh, sure, Mrs. Watterson." Aelita said.

"Excellent." Nicole said as she gave the girl a pat on the head, who then went out the backdoor to the shed. The mama cat closed the door as the girl went out.

"Wait, why would you need your gardening gloves?" Darwin asked.

"I don't." Nicole said, her face shifting from calm to a more serious and concerning look. "That should give us enough time to talk about important matters. Everyone, we need to talk, especially you, Gumball."

"Talk?" Gumball asked. "About what?"

"About Aelita." Nicole said. The blue cat tilted his head in confusion. Why did she want to talk about Aelita? Then it hit him. She must've decided to let her stay with them!

"Is she gonna stay with us for real?!" Gumball asked.

"No." Nicole said. Darwin gasped.

"Is she gonna have her baby?!" Darwin asked.

"No." Nicole said. Then Richard gasped.

"Are you gonna have a baby?!" Richard asked.

"No!" Nicole said.

"Awww..." The three said in unison.

"Then what?" Gumball asked. The mama cat turned her attention toward Anais.

"Anais, you show him what you found." Nicole said.

"Of course." Anais said as she approached her brother. "Gumball, Aelita is not who you think she is."

"Wh... what do you mean she's not who I think she is?" Gumball asked.

"Gumball, just hear me out." Anais said, who then pulled out some printed papers from behind her back. "Here, read these." Looking down at the papers, Gumball took them and began to read them. The first one was of a wanted poster, depicting a man wearing a dark red sweater and lab coat, with dark hair, a beard, and black sunglasses that hid his eyes.

_**WANTED: FRANZ HOPPER **__**\- a rogue scientist who stole property from the government**_

The blue cat tilted his head, and looked over the other papers, containing information regarding this Franz Hopper.

"Wh... what is all this?" Gumball asked. "Who is Franz Hopper?"

"Franz Hopper is a mysterious scientist who stole secrets from the government. Our government." Anais said.

"And?" Gumball asked.

"He stole stuff from the Government and did some illegal activities that would've nearly tore apart our world!" Anais said. "He used to be part of a movement known as Project Carthage, where they were working with quantum mechanics to build what was suppose to be a space bridge between our world and another's. They were planning to use this project to take over the world and benefit themselves." Anais said. "And this sick psycho was one of them!"

"But... what does this have to do with Aelita?" Gumball asked, with the pink bunny giving an annoyed sigh.

"Gumball, she's Franz Hopper's daughter." She said, holding up a printed photo. The blue cat looked at the photo, which depicted the same man from the wanted poster, Franz Hopper. But strangingly and surprisingly, sitting next to him was a young girl, roughly around seven years old. But this girl, had a strong striking resemblance to Aelita, with the pink hair and green eyes the proof. No, wait, he thought. That little girl _is_ Aelita!

"What?" Gumball asked. Despite seeing it with his own eyes, he tried to deny it. Aelita, was the daughter of this crazy scientist, who worked with a fugitive group that wanted to take over the world?

"No, that can't be!" Gumball said. "It just can't be!"

"I'm sorry, honey." Nicole said. "It's true."

"But, she probably doesn't know." Gumball said.

"Well she probably does." Anais said. "Her father did all these terrible things, and that makes him a fugitive. And that means she's a fugitive."

"No, there is no way she could be a fugitive!" Gumball shouted. But then a thought occurred into his head. She did sound a bit hasty when asked about her parents. And she didn't want to say anything about her dad or her mom. Plus, the information that Anais has is pretty much legit.

"No... she can't be." Gumball said.

"She is, Gumball." Anais said. "We have to get rid of her!"

"But why?" Gumball asked. "She hasn't done anything to us."

"But she could." Nicole said. "We already know about this stuff, and she finds out, she could kill us!"

"Kill us?!" Gumball asked. "Mom, she could barely hold off three guys that were trying to rape her! We can't just kick her out because of this!"

"Gumball, if anyone else finds out about this and learns we're keeping her here, we'll all go to jail." Anais said.

"But guys-" Gumball said.

"No butts Gumball, we can't have her stay here." Nicole said. "She is a wanted criminal. We have to kick her out."

"Why is it that you're always on Anais's side?" Gumball asked. "Is it because I'm not smart?!"

"Of course not!" Nicole said. "She is right though. We can't have Aelita stay with us! Tomorrow, we're kicking her out!"

"NO!" Gumball shouted. "That girl has been living on the streets! Do you really want to kick her out just because of what her father did?! Why can't you guys just be on my side for just ONCE?!" As the blue cat got angry, his eyes began to turn black with his pupils turning yellow. The rest of the Wattersons watched in shock. Darwin and Richard screamed.

"Ahhh, he's changing again!" Darwin shouted as he and Richard hid behind the couch.

"Oh no, not again!" Nicole said as she and Anais, who was more shocked by Gumball's eyes, stood back. The blue cat then began to growl, but then he froze, seeing the mirror behind his mom. The sight of his black and yellow eyes made him gasp. He then glanced down, seeing that his paws have transformed into the white colored claws again. He squinted his eyes, trying to calm himself down. Taking deep breaths, his claws returned to normal.

"I'm not doing this again... I'm not doing this again!" Gumball said as he turned away and went out the front door, slamming it behind him. But then he opened the door and came back inside.

"Sorry, I meant to go out the back!" Gumball said as he stomped past his family and went into the kitchen and out the backdoor.

"Gumball, wait!" Darwin called out, but it was too late. The door slammed behind the blue cat, leaving everyone speechless. Darwin only gave a disapproving look at Anais and Nicole.

"Great, you made him mad." Darwin said. "I hope you both are satisfied."

"Darwin, the government is looking for her." Anais said. "We can't let her stay here. We'll all go to jail."

"But Mrs. Mom always told us that we should help those in their time of need." Darwin said. "Plus, Gumball's becoming happier since we brought her here. Why can't you just let him be happy?!" He then marched toward the steps up to his room, leaving the others. Richard looked at Nicole and Anais.

"I don't have anything to say to you girls." The rabbit spoke, but gave a disapproved look to the two and left the room, going upstairs as well, with Anais only facepalming. Nicole looked to the direction Gumball left.

"Mom, she can't stay here." Anais said. "She's a fugitive."

"Is she?" Nicole asked.

"Mom, we have to turn her in." Anais said. "Do the right thing." With that said, the little bunny left the room and upstairs to her own, leaving the mama cat alone in her thoughts. She then saw the phone next to the refrigerator. She gave a sigh and approached the device, picking up the phone. Anais was right. They couldn't let a fugitive stay with them, or all of them would get in trouble. She typed in the numbers, but as she lifted her head up, waiting for the phone to pick up, her gaze looked upon the refrigerator door. There were two photos on the door, one from two years ago, and one from a couple months ago. The top one was of the whole family, happy and cheerful, with Gumball having a happy smile on his face, probably the most happiest smile that he ever had. But below the photo was of Gumball today, from his 8th grade school year, where he was unexpressive, and very depressed, ever since the tragic accident that nearly scarred him for life, and took away the girl he loved. Nicole's eyes widened a bit as she saw the photo. She was back in her thoughts again. Darwin was right. Gumball has been much more happier since he brought Aelita to their home. This was probably the first time she had ever seen him this happy. If she calls the police and tells them about Aelita's father's illegal activities, then Gumball would never forgive her. Was she really willing to throw away her son's happiness?

"911, what's your emergancy?" The voice brought Nicole back to reality as she realized the phone was answered.

"S...sorry, wrong number." She sighed in defeat, hanging up the phone back on the wall. She couldn't do it. She just couldn't do it. She couldn't call them. She knew deep down in her heart, it wasn't right. She didn't want her son to be miserable again, let alone hate her for the rest of his life. Turning her head, she heard a couple of voices outside. Leaning her head forward and up, she saw Gumball and Aelita talking to each other. Taking interest, Nicole learned near the open door and listened carefully.

* * *

After having that argument with his mom and sister, Gumball went outside and slammed the door behind him in a huff. How could they say that about Aelita? Calling her a fugitive? The blue cat slammed his head on the door in anger. But then, he took a couple of deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. Opening his eyes, which reverted back to their blue color, he gave gave a deep sigh. He hated feeling angry.

"Gumball?" The blue cat turned to see Aelita, sitting in the backyard. "Is everything ok?"

"No." Gumball said as he came down the steps. "Um... you didn't hear all that, did you?"

"I heard some shouting." Aelita said. "It sounded like you got into a fight with your mom."

"Well actually it was with Anais." Gumball said. "She... she probably doesn't like you."

"I noticed that." Aelita said. "I don't know what I did wrong."

"Eh, she's always like that." Gumball said. "And mom, she doesn't usually get angry with me as much anymore..." His attention was then drawn back to his paw, which was clutching a piece of paper. Opening up to see, he gasped silently. It was the picture Anais gave him, the one of Aelita with Franz Hopper.

"Gumball?" Aelita asked, getting him to look up. "What's that?" The blue cat quickly hid it behind his back.

"Uh... nothing..." Gumball said. The girl tilted her head.

"It doesn't look like nothing." Aelita said. The cat boy didn't know what to do. He couldn't just keep it from her forever. And besides... he wanted to know himself, who was this girl? He let out a sigh.

"Aelita... Here..." Gumball said, approaching her. He then extended his hand to show her the photo. After a brief second, the girl in front him, almost gasped, and her eyes widened with pure shock. The photo of her... with her father...

"Wh... h... how, Gumball?" Aelita asked.

"My sister." Gumball said. "She found this... and... printed it to show me..." As he held out the photo to her, the girl slowly took it from him and glanced at it.

"I... I never thought I would see this again..." She spoke, her voice almost trembling, and a tear was about to form in her eyes. The blue cat only stared at her as she just stared at the photo.

"Is... is that your dad?" Gumball asked. The girl didn't say anything, except give a slow nod. That meant yes.

"Who... who are you?" Gumball asked. "Who are you, really?" The girl only lowered her head. She didn't know what to do. What was she going to do? She was scared. However, she wasn't scared that he or his family was gonna kick her out. She was afraid that he'll think that she lied to him and turn her away. The blue cat only looked away.

"My sister said... that he did a lot of bad stuff." Gumball said. "That he did some pretty illegal things-"

"That's not true..." He soft voice made him stop and ask.

"What was that?" Gumball asked.

"That's Not True!" She nearly shouted, but she stopped herself. The blue cat only stared at the girl, who was more hesitant than ever. Seeing that he was upsetting her more, he only turned around to leave her be.

"Sorry... I'll just... leave you alone." He said as he got up and went toward the back door.

"Gumball, Wait!" Aelita said, taking his hand. The blue cat quickly blushed, then turned his head back toward the girl.

"Yes?" He asked.

"I'm sorry." Aelita said. "I really haven't been honest with you... I just ask... please don't hate me..." Her words were showing that she was afraid, of losing him, her new friend. The blue cat then approached her, and took her hand.

"Then... let me hear your side of it, please?" Gumball asked. The girl was again hesitant, but the blue cat really wanted to know the truth. She gave a sigh. She knew deep down that this was going to happen, so might as well let it out.

"Alright." She said. "You deserve to know the truth..." The blue cat leaned in, ready to listen. The girl then took a deep breath.

"I had an old life once..." She said.

_"Yo, get out of my way, bitch!" A thug, wearing bling bling and gang clothes spoke as he sat in the chair, watching the TV, which was blocked by a woman wearing threads and jewelry._

_"Don't call me no bitch! You are a piece of shit!" The woman shouted._

_"Come say it to my ass, you snowho!" The man said. Enough with it, the girl pulled out a shotgun, and shot right at his foot, making him scream. "Gah! You Shot Me!" Before he knew it, she pulled him off the couch._

_"I'm gonna throw you into last night...!" She hissed, and then pulled him to the window._

_"No! Baby No!" The man shouted, but it was too late, and she threw him crashing into and out the window from the tall 20 story building._

Gumball only stood there with a shocked and confused expression. The girl looked at him.

"Gumball?" Aelita asked. "Are you ok?"

"Wha?" Gumball said, pulling himself back into reality. "Oh sorry, something unrelated just popped into my head. What were you saying?"

"I... I had an old life once." Aelita said.

"And?" Gumball asked. The girl rubbed her head as she turned away.

"Oh, where do I begin?" She said to herself as she sat down on the chair near the shed. She took a deep breath, collected her thoughts, and finally spoke.

"You ever heard of Kadic Academy?" She asked.

"Kadic Academy?" Gumball asked in surprise. "Yeah, I've heard about that place. It's a pretty cool boarding school for people with great minds and talents. It was inspired by that Lakanal school all the way down in France or something! Wait, you actually went there?"

"Well... not at first, but yes." Aelita said. "My father, he used to be a teacher there."

"Franz Hopper, right..." Gumball said.

"Well, actually Franz Hopper wasn't his real name." Aelita said. "Hopper was actually my mother's maiden name, and Franz was actually my father's middle name."

"Then what's his real name?" Gumball asked.

"Waldo Schaeffer." Aelita answered. The blue cat then began to think, trying to see if he knew him at all.

"Don't know him." Gumball said.

"That's because... well... he used to work with a secretive organization." Aelita said.

"You mean he worked with the government?" Gumball asked.

"Not exactly." Aelita said. "He worked with an international group that was part of many scientists and those who worked on the quantum physics. He first thought that the group was to help humanity, but..."

"But they were bad guys, right?" Gumball asked.

"Yes, in the way you put it." Aelita said. "My father found out that they were going to use their project for their own needs, and he wanted to leave the group. Unfortunately, they weren't going to let him."

"So they went after you guys." Gumball said.

"Yes, but we managed to escape." Aelita said. "Well, just me and my father."

"And, your mom?" Gumball asked as the girl looked at the ground.

"She was kidnapped." Aelita said. "About seventeen years ago, it happened all of a sudden. I was outside building a snowman, but then... I saw a wolf."

"A wolf?" Gumball asked.

"Yeah." Aelita said, remembering the face of the wolf, it's brown fur and it's yellow vicious eyes. "As soon as I turned my head, I heard my mom screaming. Then I saw two men taking her away into their car. I ran after them, but they drove off. And I never saw her again." Gumball then was saddened by this.

"Oh, I'm so sorry." Gumball said.

"That's one of the reasons why I don't like wolves." Aelita said. "I feel like they're bad luck."

"Well, actually I knew someone who could turn into a-" Gumball spoke, but then he froze, and remembered Aelita saying that this happened seventeen years ago. Seventeen years?!

"Wait, this happened seventeen years ago?" Gumball asked. "But wait, you're fourteen, so you weren't even born yet!" The girl gave a sigh, showing that there was more to the story.

"No, I was actually five when they came." Aelita said.

"WHAT?!" Gumball asked, feeling even more confused. "Wait, how is that even possible? If you were five around that time, then you have to be at least... um... twenty four years old now! Wait... are you time traveler who escaped that time and came here?!"

"No, Gumball." Aelita said.

"Aww man." The blue cat said disappointed. "That would've been so awesome. I was starting to imagine you coming here like the Terminator. You would be like beep-boop-beep. I'll be back..." Seeing him acting like a robot for a second and imitating Arnold Schwarzenegger brought a weak smile to the girl. "So anyway, what happened after they took your mom?"

"Me and father left home and moved here to the United States." Aelita said. "And we changed our last names, while my father used his middle name instead."

"So you guys could avoid suspicion?" Gumball asked.

"Yes." Aelita said. "He took a job as a teacher at Kadic Academy."

"And you went to school there?" Gumball asked.

"No." Aelita said. "I was home schooled."

"What?" Gumball asked. "But you said that you went there."

"I did but not until much later." Aelita said.

"Oh it was for older people, right?" Gumball asked.

"Yeah." Aelita said. "Plus, my father was home schooled, so it was kind of traditional."

"Oooohhh..." Gumball said. "So, you weren't allowed to leave the house or you didn't have any friends back then?"

"No, it wasn't like that." Aelita said. "I'd always ride my bike around town, and we'd always do something like see a movie or have dinner somewhere. But I was a bit shy to make friends, and a little traumatized of my mom being abducted. But, I had one friend though when I was 11. He would come by once and a while to see me. He was a few years younger than me, and his parents would ask me to watch him. But he was very smart, and he had a love for robotics. I... I can't remember his name. Tony? Tamy? I can't really recall." She looked up at the sky, trying to remember the boy. But she couldn't. No doubt that he's probably older right now. "I wonder where he is right now..." The blue cat glanced back at her, wanting to know more.

"But, Aelita, how is it that you're still fourteen after all these years?" Gumball asked.

"Let's just say my father's enemies managed to figure out where we lived." Aelita said.

"Oh..." Gumball said, knowing what was coming next. "They came after you again, did they."

"They did." Aelita said. "But we were prepared. My father knew they would find us, but he managed to have everything ready for it."

"You guys managed to escape?" Gumball asked. "How?" The girl looked up back at the sky, knowing that this next part was something that she tried to keep secret the most of all. Her adventures with her friends, something she was hoping she wouldn't reveal. But Gumball deserved to know the story, the whole story. So she told it.

"The Supercomputer." Aelita said.

"Supercomputer?" Gumball asked. "What's that?"

"It's a powerful computer that my father made underneath the abandoned factory far from the school." Aelita continued. The blue cat then began to think. Building a computer underneath an abandoned facility. That must've been the illegal activites Anais told him about. "He was able to create a virtual world where one can convert the entire body and memory of an individual and transport it into the digital dimension."

"Huh?" Gumball asked, not knowing what she was talking about.

"We went inside the supercomputer." Aelita said more simply. Gumball then gave a gasp.

"Wait, you guys went inside a computer?" He asked. "Kinda like that Tron movie?"

"Yes, yes we did." Aelita said.

"Awesome..." Gumball said with an astonished smile. "Please, tell me more!" The girl looked at the blue cat, who was eager to know more. And so, she continued.

"My father had been working on the supercomputer underneath the abandoned factory for almost six years." Aelita said. "I don't know where he got help to do it, but they were people that he trusted. The computer, as I said, allowed one to travel to the virtual world of Lyoko, the digital world that he created inside the computer."

"Like a video game, right?" Gumball asked.

"Something like that." Aelita said. "He was able to save time by using a cool mechanism he built in the machine which we dubbed _Return to the Past_. It allowed him to repeat the entire day, and all the work he had done was saved at the same time."

"Wow... a device that allowed him to repeat the day's events." Gumball said. "That's so cool."

"It is, but it has it's downs though." Aelita said. "Using it not only made him a bit smarter, but it also had a deteriorating effect on his mental health, making him feel paranoid."

"Ooooh…" Gumball spoke as his smile turned to a frown. "So, he went insane?"

"No." Aelita said. "He was always fine around me, but I would hear him talk as if someone was watching him."

"Oh." Gumball said. "And the computer was used as a sanctuary to hide from his enemies."

"Yep." Aelita said. "When they found us, we hid on Lyoko, but there were some problems." Aelita said.

"Like what?" Gumball asked.

"XANA..." She spoke.

"XANA?" The blue cat spoke in question.

"Yes." Aelita continued. "My father created a multi-agent program known as XANA, and it grew in power over time, so he would be able to destroy Carthage."

"Carthage?" Gumball asked.

"The project the group was working on." Aelita said, who realized that she forgot to mention that part. "Oh yeah, forgot to tell you that. My father sorta stole their work so they wouldn't use it."

"Oooohhh, and that's another reason why they were after him?" Gumball said.

"Probably." Aelita said.

"And this XANA program was assigned to destroy it." Gumball said.

"At first yes." Aelita said. "But XANA had evolved, forming a conscience of it's own and its own intelligence. It wanted to break free from the digital world and bring destruction upon humanity. My father tried to reason with him, but he couldn't. So he cut power from the supercomputer from the inside, trapping XANA inside forever, but also trapped himself and me inside." Gumball was greatly surprised, and a bit more sadness seeped into his heart.

"Oh my gosh..." Gumball said. "Wait a second, you guys were trapped in the computer for... how long?"

"Nine years." Aelita said.

"NINE YEARS?!" Gumball asked in shock. "But how did you get out?" The girl looked up at the sky, seeing the stars twinkle.

"I had help... from Jeremie." She said.

"Jeremie?" Gumball asked.

"He's my... best friend." She said, giving a slight blush. "He got me out of the computer, and he was there for me every step of the way. You would've liked him. He's very smart, good with computers, and very nice."

"So, he's an Einstein?" Gumball asked, trying his best to avoid the word nerd.

"Yes." Aelita said.

"Oh, I sorta figured that when you said he was good with computers." Gumball said.

"He sure is..." Aelita said, looking at the ground. "He very gifted. When he turned on the Supercomputer, he worked day and night to help me get back into the real world. I lost my memory for a while, but Jeremie showed me so much in a way that no one else could. Even when I was at my own lowest, he would be there for me. If anything, I'm really proud to be his friend." The girl was smiling and blushing a bit as she talked about Jeremie, much to Gumball's notice.

"It sounds like you like him a lot. A real lot." Seeing the blue cat's eyebrows go up and down made her blush more.

"Oh, no, no!" Aelita said. "He's just a friend... I mean... well, he's special to me, that's all." Turning her head away, she couldn't help but blush as she continued to think about him, but at the same time, she felt sad. She did like Jeremie a lot. He was always there for her, but now... that's never going to happen.

"You ok?" Gumball asked, noticing the girl feeling downhearted.

"Yeah, it's just that I miss him so much." Aelita said. "Anyway, back to the story. He was investigating the factory and turned on the super computer, and he helped me out, though it took a lot of effort to do so."

"A lot of effort?" Gumball asked.

"Yeah, we had go through a lot to get me back into the real world." Aelita said. "But we couldn't have done it without our friends."

"Friends?" Gumball asked. "Tell me about them."

"Well, there were three others." Aelita said. "One was Odd, and yes, his name is actually Odd. He's pretty funny when you get to know him. He likes to pull pranks once and a while, and that usually leads him into getting into trouble. But he's so generous and willing to stand up for us when we need it. The next one is Ulrich. He's more like a cool guy, an unrivalled fighter, and very unpredictable. He does have a bit of a short temper from time to time, and mood swings here and there. But he's got a big heart, willing to make things right. The last one is Yumi. She's very mature for her age, and is usually one to raise her voice to help us when we feel a bit anxious. Usually she keeps herself from the group, isolating herself if needed. But yet, she's very encouraging, and helps lift our spirits up when we need it."

"Ahhh, so there's the smart one, the funny one, the grouchy one, and the mature one." Gumball said. "It's like Pretty Pretty Ponies but there are only five people and there are three guys in it."

"Huh?" Aelita asked.

"Uhhh Pretty Pretty Ponies?" Gumball asked. "It's a TV show about ponies using the power of friendship to solve problems and save the world from evil, mixed with some drama, action, and lots of comedy. Darwin mentioned this morning. You never heard of it?"

"Not really." Aelita said.

"Oh... ok, please continue." Gumball said, and the girl gave a nod.

"So, we were able to get me back into the real world, and we worked on trying to get my father back into the real world." Aelita continued. "But we still had to deal with XANA and stop him for good. You wouldn't believe all the adventures we've had during that time. There was one time when XANA posed as us to try and tear us apart, but we were able to catch his deception when he didn't act like the real us. One time Yumi and Odd swapped bodies when the re-virtualization program malfunctioned, and they had a bit of a struggling getting through it. Oh, and there was the time when Odd actually tried to bring his dog Kiwi to Lyoko, and it resulted into him behaving like a dog." As she talked about her friends and the adventures they had, Gumball continued to listen. But as he did, he saw something very different about Aelita. He didn't see the confused and frightened girl she was when he first met her. She was so comfortable talking about them, she looked much more outgoing, and positive. He was starting to like her more. Despite being smitten by her, he continued to listen and follow along.

Luckily, we were able to work up a powerful multi-agent program that would allow us to destroy XANA once and for all."

"Did you?" Gumball asked.

"Yes, we did." Aelita said.

"YES!" Gumball gave a cheer with his arms up and thrusting his pelvis. "The bad evil program lost!"

"HEY!" a loud voice came from next door, making them turn to see Mr. Robinson looking from his window. "Shut Up, will ya? We're trying to sleep!" As he shut the window, Gumball cheered again, but in a more quiet tone.

"Yay... the bad evil program lost..." He said with a smile.

"But..." Aelita said, making the blue cat stare at her for a second.

"But what?" Gumball asked.

"My father... he gave his life up for us." She said, lowering her head down. "That was the last time I've ever saw of him." The blue cat's arms dropped and his smile faded.

"Oh..." He said. "I'm... I'm sorry." He then face palmed himself in embarrassment of his victory dance.

"It's ok." Aelita said. "He did it to save me and all of humanity. After all that, we shut down the super computer and went on with our lives. It was a little difficult to do so, but we managed. We even met some new friends along the way."

"New friends?" Gumball asked. "Like who?"

"A very good friend, who helped us in a very strange situation." Aelita said. "And we helped him when he was in trouble. He taught me that nothing starts until you take action. So I tried to take his advice to heart whenever I could." She looked up at the sky, seeing the stars, and the image of the friend she met, a certain blue hedgehog with green eyes giving a thumbs up and smile. She couldn't help but wonder, if he knows that she's out here.

"Aelita?" Gumball asked, bringing her back to reality.

"Yes?" She asked.

"There's one thing I don't get though." He said. "If things were getting better, what happened? What made you leave? How'd you end up on the streets?" The girl then realized that he wanted to know why she came here and why she was out on the streets. She then turned her head, as if trauma was taking over. "Aelita?"

"I... I..." Aelita said, showing uncomfort, with the shy scared girl she was coming back.

"Aelita..." Gumball said, placing his hand on her shoulder. "It's ok, you can tell me. I'm willing to listen." She turned her head, looking at the cat, who wanted to know. She turned away and lowered her head.

"It happened last year, when School was just starting." She said. "Everyone was getting ready for class, while some classes were in session. Me and the others were finishing up a documentary on our adventures should we feel ready to tell the world about it. We were just rapping up on it. It was just like any ordinary day... until... they came."

"Who?" Gumball asked.

"Them..." Aelita said, making Gumball's eyes widen with realization.

"You mean, the people who were after your father?" Gumball asked.

"Yes." She said. "First thing I heard were loud bangs going on. We quickly hid, and saw men in suits running into the building. They had guns." The blue cat's eyes widened.

"Guns?" Gumball asked.

"Yes... guns." Aelita said, as tears began to form in her eyes. "They just showed up and... god... I saw them shoot down anyone in their path. Then they spotted us, and... They shot at us." The blue cat covered his mouth, now knowing what was going to happen. "We did our best to outrun them, but then they cornered us inside the cafeteria...! That's when... I saw..."

"Saw who?" Gumball asked, as the girl lifted her head up, showing some hate.

"_Him_." Aelita said. "He was... a very evil person. I never forgot his face. Those vicious red eyes, his silver long hair, the grey coat he wore, and that metal arm that replaced his right hand. He said that he was from some group called the Dark Phoenix, and that he came for my father's files. He said that he was going to kill us if we didn't. My friends... they tried to stop them... but..." The blue cat's eyes widened.

"Oh my god... they..." Gumball said, realizing what was coming next.

"Yes... all of them, one by one." She said, her eyes beginning to fill up with tears and anguish. "The man summoned this monster out... This strange demon that was like a vulture flying in and eating people. Odd, Ulrich, and Yumi tried to stop him, while Jeremie tried to get me out. But they... they were no match for the man and the monster. Odd was his first victim. Then Ulrich and Yumi... They were both killed. Then the man came after us... and..." She then got up and then fell to her knees, and tried to hold back tears. "I heard a shot, but then I saw Jeremie, standing between me and the man. He fell to the ground, and... He died... right in my arms." The girl covered her face, as tears began to drop down her cheeks. The flashbacks of her friends getting taken out, and slaughtered right in front of her one by one came back, making her unable to hide the pain. The blue cat only stood there, saddened by what he heard. This poor girl that had her life taken away from her, just got it all back to have it stolen again. The worse part was, the lives of her friends were taken too. He then approached her, and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"I'm... I'm sorry..." Gumball said, unable to find words. The girl lifted her head up, but the tears didn't stop.

"It wasn't over though..." She said. "It was only the beginning of what was to come."

"What happened next?" Gumball asked.

"Next thing I knew, the man knocked me out." Aelita said. "I barely remembered what happened before I was where they took me. I remember them dragging me across the floor, and they placed me in a dark cell. I wasn't the only one... There were others... but they weren't human. They were monsters."

"Monsters?" Gumball asked. "What kind of monsters?"

"I couldn't describe them." Aelita said. "They were vicious beasts, like the ones you see in those giant monster movies. I was kept in a cell chained up to a wall. And when they'd let me out... they would... they..." She was beginning to tear up again. The blue cat stared at her, and asked.

"What?" He asked.

"They did things to me..." She said. "They strapped me onto a table and were... conducting experiments on me." The blue cat's eyes widened. Those people did experiments on her?

"What?! W...what kind?" He asked.

"They said... they said that they needed a host... for a new offspring." Aelita said. Gumball nearly choked as he gasped, and his eyes went down toward the girl's belly. The unborn child that was inside her womb.

"Offspring?" Gumball asked.

"Yes..." Aelita said. "They said that they were gonna put something inside me... They strapped me onto a table and implanted something in me through... through my..."

"Through your what?" Gumball asked. The girl only began sniffing, but then pointed down below her stomach, straight to her pelvis. Gumball's eyes widened in pure shock.

"Oh my god...!" He spoke, as tears filled up his eyes.

"They placed a tube into me..." She said. "They said that they... created one using the DNA of one of those monsters with someone's egg cells. I didn't know what they did to me... until... until..." Before she could continue, she covered her mouth, feeling completely nauseous, with the contents in her stomach beginning to rush up her throat to her mouth. Unable to keep it in, she knelt down and let it all out, coughing as she vomitted to the ground below her. The blue cat rubbed her shoulders, easing her a bit.

"The worse part is... I don't even know what's inside me." Aelita said, her hand placed on her stomach. "I don't know if this child is even a human... or a monster..." Gumball was trying so hard to take all of this in. This poor girl was locked up in a cell, experimented on like a guinea pig, and impregnated with something that could or could not be human. How could people do that to someone? Especially a young girl?

"And... and when the operation was a success?" Gumball asked.

"It... it got worse." Aelita said, her eyes beginning to produce tears. "When the experiments were a success, they place me back in the cell... and... everyday, some men would come into my cell and held me down. They would... tear off my clothes... and then they... they..." Gumball's eyes widened even more, realizing what was coming next.

"No... no..." He said, with a tear coming out of his eye. "They didn't..."

"Yes..!" She spoke, kneeling down, bursting into tears. "They raped me... They forced themselves upon me..." She shook her head, her hands on the sides, with the scenes going over in her head. "They raped me over... and over... until I passed out." She let out a scream of despair, and continued to cry. The horrible images of her kidnappers doing those horrible things to her made her cry.

"Holy shit..." Gumball said to himself, unable and not wanting to picture the horror that she had experienced.

"The worse part is... they weren't the only ones..." She spoke.

"The only ones?" Gumball asked.

"The monsters they had locked up in the cell." Aelita choked. "They would take me and throw me into one of them a couple times, and the monsters... they'd do the same things..."

"No..." He whispered as the girl knelt down and vomited once more. Gumball was at a lost of words... this poor girl... was raped by not only those sick freaks, but by monsters as well. The poor guy was starting to get sick to his stomach too. But wait. How did she escape though?

"But... how did you escape?" He asked.

"There was... a revolt or something." Aelita said, trying to keep it together. "One of the monsters got lose and caused a power outage. My cell opened and I was able to escape. They were too busy dealing with the monster that they didn't bother to come after me..."

"And that's how you ended up on the streets?" Gumball asked.

"Uh-huh." Aelita said as she wiped her tears away. "I was able to get some clothes and find shelter at an abandoned place, and I've been traveling from town to town ever since. I've been able to salvage and find some lose change and money to buy some food. But there were times where I was robbed... and..." She tried to fight back more tears before she spoke, but was unable to. Oh no, Gumball thought, knowing that her pain wasn't done.

"You were raped again, were you?" Gumball asked.

"Yes." Aelita said. "It was like I was captured all over again. It would be two guys or three, sometimes four."

"Oh my god..." Gumball said, his voice shaking. "Why didn't fight back?"

"Because, they were armed." Aelita said, her voice was more distraught and tears came down from her eyes. "Some had knifes... some had guns... So I just did nothing. I just did nothing, fearing that they would kill me... To be honest I wished they had. Because the worse part is... I've grown addicted to what they did to me... Like I'm... Like I'm Some Damn Slut!" Then began to breakdown in tears, the horrible memories coming back. With a scream of distraught, she slammed her fists into the ground as water flowed out of her eyes.

"All I wanted was to have my life back, but it's always taken away from me!" She spoke, looking at the ground with dead fish eyes. "My family, my friends, and everything, gone! I... I wish... I wish I was just dead..."

Gumball only stood there, horror in his eyes, and tears began to drip. Being a teenager, he had heard and seen stuff like this on TV, whether it be about action cartoons with monsters being made, or like Law & Order, Chris Hanson, or some investigation specials where they would talk about this kind of stuff. One half would be disgusted about the subject and take it seriously. The other half though, he even heard some people joke about it. But this... All this was too much for Gumball to take in. This sweet innocent girl, loses her family, spends almost ten years trapped inside a computer, escaping to have a better life, only to lose her friends to some murderers, and fall prey to some sickos who experimented on her, got her knocked up, and would have their way with her everyday. And even when she thought she had escaped a terrible fate, she only fell into the same horror over an over again. It hurt. It hurt so much. Unable to see her sad anymore, the blue cat quickly wrapped his arms around her, embracing her in a big hug.

"It's alright." Gumball said as he nuzzled her. "You're going to be ok. You're not alone. I'm here." Feeling his warm and soft embrace made her tears stop flowing. For the first time in her whole life after all the pain she endured, she felt safe. She felt safe again. She returned the hug and nuzzled him, feeling solace in his arms. Gumball, however, couldn't help but think. If mom kicks her out, then what could happen to her? What if she falls into the same situation all over again. No. He was not gonna let that happen to her. He was not gonna let her relive that horrible experience anymore.

"Aelita... I don't want you to go through all that again." Gumball said. "Everything that you've been through, you don't deserve to relive it everyday. I'm... I'm gonna try to talk to my mom tomorrow, and convince her to let you stay with us." Aelita's eyes widened with surprise.

"Oh Gumball, you don't have to go through so much trouble." Aelita said.

"Of course I do." Gumball said. "You've already suffered enough, and there's no way in hell that you're gonna go through all that again."

"Gumball..." Aelita said.

"I promise I won't let anything bad will happen to you..." Gumball said. "Whatever it takes, I'll protect you." The girl looked at him, touched that he would go out of his way to let her stay.

"You would do that for me?" Aelita askd.

"You're worth it." Gumball said, wiping away the tears from her cheek. The girl only gave a weak smile, and clung onto the cat boy. He then embraced her tightly.

"Thank you..." Aelita said. Hearing that made the blue cat smile, and he hugged her once again. As he held her, he noticed he was feeling something inside. Something so complete. Something he hasn't felt in a long time. But whatever it was, it was right. It was good. So he stood there with her, holding her in his arms. The two remained in their embrace, not a soul disturbing them, completely unaware that Nicole was watching from the backdoor. The mama cat had tear-stains on her cheeks, showing no doubt that she was listening. Turning herself around, her back against the wall, she lowered her head in shame, and began to cry.

* * *

**So... that's the end of that chapter. I felt nauseous writing this chapter.**

**Sorry about the little joke before all the nasty stuff. That joke was inspired by the "I was married once" scene from Scary Movie 4.**

**Also, I know Code Lyoko takes place in France, but this story takes place here in the US, so I altered some of the events of the past to make it work and fit into the story.**

**Now, regarding the stuff that Aelita had been through regarding the kidnapping, torturing, experimenting, and the sexual assault. Seriously though, rape and abuse is NOT a joke. Stuff like this happens in places all around us, and it's horrible. The thought of sickos assaulting others and forcing them to have sex with them is outright disgusting, especially with minors. I don't mean to rant, but all those child molesters, child-beaters and rapists belong in a jail cell. No, they should be buried alive. No, No, they need to be broken and torn apart so they understand what their victims felt like.**

**…Sorry, I had to get that out.**

**So, anyway, sorry for the long wait on this, because I was nervous to let this story out, and I felt like I needed to add a bit more. So what's gonna happen next? Find out in the next chapter, and hopefully, you won't have to wait too long.**


	7. Chapter 7: Family

**Ok, here's chapter seven everyone! Now, let's see how Gumball will convince his mom into letting Aelita stay, while Nicole turns to an old friend for advice.**

* * *

_**Chapter 07: Family**_

**Morning**

**The Watterson's Household**

It was now morning, with the sun shining's it's light and happy smile on the town of Elmore. Usually with it being in the summer time, the young ones take this advantage to sleep through most of the morning. In his room, Gumball was sleeping soundly in bed. Turning over, he felt a nice mass next to him, and he extended his arms out to wrap around it. He smiled, giving a nice pur.

"Mmmmm... Penny..." He spoke silently, nuzzling his head into the pillow... wait, that wasn't a pillow he was nuzzling into. He squeezed with his hand, feeling that he was squeezing something a bit soft, but it wasn't a pillow. Opening his eyes, he saw the body of a girl next to him. Lifting his head up, he saw that Aelita was right next to him, and his arm was across her stomach and his hand on her left breast. The blue cat was almost shocked, but he was still a bit sleepy to freakout. The girl right next to him began to open her eyes. As she did, she tilted her head a bit, staring at the blue cat.

"Uhhh... hi?" Gumball asked. The girl next to him gave a giggle.

"Good morning to you too." Aelita said. She then noticed that his hand was still on her breast, much to his realization too.

"Sorry, I'm not being frisky." Gumball said, showing red across his face. "I just realized that I was sleeping next to you." The girl gave a smile.

"Oh it's no problem, Gumball." Aelita said. Staring back at the cat's hand, she touched the top, stroking the soft fur, making Gumball blush even more. "You're so soft too." Gumball could only smile, his face getting redder by the second. But then, the blue cat lifted his head up, and saw that they were in bed. His bed actually. He noticed that they both still had their clothes still on, so that kicked one question out of his mind. Last thing that he remembered was that they were outside talking. They must've fallen asleep, and mom probably brought them inside.

"Huh, mom must've brought us in." Gumball said. He turned his head, seeing his clock displaying 8:00AM, and that it was Thursday. The blue cat remembered. This was Aelita's last day to stay with them.

"It's Thursday." Gumball said. "That means we have twenty four hours to convince mom to let you stay."

"You have an idea, don't you?" Aelita asked.

"Well, we may have to tell her about everything." Gumball said. "About your dad, the supercomputer, your friends, the creepy jerk with the robot arm and stuff."

"You really think she'll understand?" Aelita asked.

"Aelita, this is my mom we're talking about." Gumball said. "She understands everything. Though it took up a lot of thinking to guilt trip her into letting you stay with us for this long, but she'll understand if we tell her the whole thing." The girl turned her head away. She truly felt heart warmed by how Gumball was doing everything he can to make sure she can stay with them. But she also felt that she was being afflicting to him and his family.

"I really appreciate what you're doing for me Gumball, but I don't want to burden you and you family." Aelita said.

"There is no way you're burdening us." Gumball said. "No matter what happens, we can deal with it together."

"Together?" Aelita asked.

"Together." He reassured her. The girl gave a hopeful smile, and clung to him in a grateful hug.

"Thank you." She said, with Gumball giving a blush and a happy smile. As he nuzzled her, the two were completely unaware that Nicole was watching from outside the room. The mama cat only gave a smile, seeing her son so happy with his new friend.

* * *

_"When it comes to one year-old Billy, Xavier... You are NOT the Father!"_

_-ZZZPPPHF-_

_"The rifle that was used to kill your parents. Do you own this r-"_

_-ZZZPPPHF-_

_"AMAZON!... HENSHIN!"_

_-ZZZPPPHF-_

_"Welcome to Daisy the Donkey Show!"_

_-ZZZPPPHF-_

_"HAAAX!"_

_-ZZZPPPHF-_

_"This... is crack."_

_-ZZZPPPHF-_

_"Daddyyyy…"_

_-ZZZPPPHF-_

_"Live From Channel 6 Action News in Elmore! Featuring your host Kip Schlezinger, with special guest from Channel 5 News from Quahog, Tom Tucker!"_

_"Good morning I'm Kip Schlezinger." Kip began._

_"And I'm special guest newscaster from Channel 5 News from Quahog, Tom Tucker." Tom spoke._

_"It's so good to see you Tom." Kip said._

_"Good to see you too Kip." Tom said. "But now for the news."_

_"Tomorrow is going to be a magnificent event at Manhatten's City Hall, where there is going to be a peace signing between the Kingdom of Acorn and the United Federations." Kip began. "King Acorn and President Gordon will be speaking today at the press conference about how this will not only welcoming the Kingdom of Acorn into the United Federations, but also establish a new era of peace, signifying the unity between humanity and the anthropians._

_"That's right." Tom said. "And many people have one person to thank for that, and that is Sonic the Hedgehog himself, the world's fastest hedgehog who's actions helped the two nations fight against the Black Arms almost seven months ago. He's also known for banishing Dr. Eggman into the far reaches of outer space, fighting a massive water god that nearly flooded Station Square, and stopping a huge space station from destroying the planet. And people are still talking about it."_

_"Tell me about it, I can see why he is loved by everybody." Tom said. "Well, almost everyone."_

_"Yes indeed." Kip said. "And now we should get back with the news. Speaking of the press conference, Adventure Bay's own Paw Patrol, led by Ryder Houson, will be participating in the ceremony while also acting as security and responders in case anything goes crazy."_

_"Well, the pups sure got a lot on their paws, don't they." Kip said._

_"That's right, Kip." Tom said. "Oh by the way, good job using the word paws."_

_"Thanks, Tom." Kip said._

_"Oh, one more thing." Tom said. "I thought anthropians were just called furries."_

_"Well, you can call it whatever you want." Kip said. "But they're really called Anthropians."_

_"Interesting, I did not know that." Tom said. "And now we go live with-"_

_-ZZZPPPHF-_

"Heh... it's already been two years and nobody invented a TV that can flick it's own channels." Richard said, clicking the remote. A sound came from the stairway, revealing Nicole coming down the steps.

"Morning honey." Richard said.

"Morning Richard." Nicole said with a yawn. "Whatcha watching?"

"Just the news." Richard said. "They're talking about some Peace Ceremony happening tomorrow between the our country and some Kingdom far away. Nothing too interesting."

"That's nice, Richard." Nicole said. She then glanced at her husband, who was still watching the TV. She was still reminiscing from what she overheard last night from Gumball and Aelita's conversation. She was still saddened by what Aelita had been through. Losing her mother and father, being trapped in a computer for almost a decade, losing her friends, being kidnapped and experimented on by crazy freaks, being burdened with a baby that probably isn't human, and living on the streets while being robbed and raped during that time. Nicole couldn't believe how a girl like Aelita survived all that, but it was also so heartbreaking to hear.

The mama cat was thinking about what Anais found about Aelita, but she was thinking more about Aelita's side of the story. Sure, Anais was right about the girl being a fugitive, but after hearing from Aelita, that was because whoever are after her branded her as one. Aelita probably didn't know about what her father was doing or that they were on the run from that time before she entered the supercomputer. And these creeps that were after her and her father, she never heard of a group like that. They sounded pretty rogue to her. A girl like her doesn't deserve to be locked up, or worse, killed.

Also, she noticed how helpful Aelita has been around the house. She helped take care of the laundry, even managed to get the boys to help her out, She managed to get Richard off the couch. She even kept them occupied so they wouldn't get into too much trouble. To be honest, Aelita was acting much like a second and older daughter to her, despite that she's not a bunny or cat.

Plus, Nicole has noticed how a lot more positive Gumball has been acting ever since he brought Aelita to their house. He's been acting like his usual cheerful self again, something that she hasn't seen in almost a year. She didn't want her son to fall into another depression.

Nicole sighed. She didn't know what to do. She looked at Richard and began to speak.

"Richard, can I ask you something?" Nicole asked.

"Yeah, I'll make love to you tonight sweetie." Richard said.

"No Richard, it's not about that." Nicole said. "And can you please turn the TV off so I know you're listening?"

"Oh, ok." Richard said. He then clicked the TV off, and looked at his wife. "What is it, honey?"

"Richard, Aelita's been with us for a couple days now, and I'm just wondering." Nicole said. "What's your personal thoughts about her?"

"She's pretty nice." Richard said. "She's been very helpful around here. I have to say, she's such a trooper surviving out there on the streets."

"Well, do you like her?" Nicole asked.

"What do you mean?" Richard asked. "If you're asking if I'm in love with her, that's disgusting. She's only a kid. Besides, you're the love of my life, remember?"

"No, I mean what do you personal think about her?" Nicole asked.

"What I think about her?" Richard said. "Well, I do like her. She's pretty nice. To be honest, she's kinda like a second daughter to me, only more fun and less boring."

"Well, how would you feel if we let her stay here with us... forever?" Nicole asked. Richard gasped with a smile upon hearing that.

"She's going to stay with us forever?!" Richard asked.

"Shhhhhh... I haven't completely thought it through yet, so don't say anything." Nicole said.

"Oh, well if she was, I would love for her to stay." Richard said. "I'd risk getting my ribs broken for her to stay. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I've been thinking about my argument with Gumball yesterday, and then I overheard a conversation between him and Aelita last night, and well..." Nicole said. "I don't know if it's right for us to kick her out over some thing that involved her father."

"Well, do you like her?" Richard asked. Nicole reflected instantly on what Richard said. To be honest, she did like Aelita. She too saw her as a second daughter.

"Actually, now that you mention it, Of course I do." Nicole said. "She's been helpful around the house, and she makes sure you guys don't get into too much trouble. Anais told me some stuff that made me a bit suspicious about her, but after hearing Gumball's conversation with her last night, I'm torn... I don't know what to do." She lowered her head and covered his face, so distraught. The big rabbit next to her moved a bit, wrapped his arm around her and nuzzled her cheek.

"You know what I do when I feel distraught?" Richard asked.

"What?" Nicole asked.

"I look at this!" Richard spoke as he held out a photo, which showed a mouse with googly eyes, holding a liftweight.

"Um... ok?" Nicole said.

_-BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP-_

The sound of an alarm clock got their attention. Looking at it, the digits showed 10:30AM.

"What's that?" Nicole asked.

"Oh, that's for me." Richard said, clicking the the clock, and stood up from the couch.

"And Noooowwww..." he spoke, and then grabbed ahold of his clothes, his shirt, pants, and his two-dollar clip-on tie, tearing them off his body. Instead of him being naked however, the ripping revealed a whole new set of clothes, a nice business suit with a black jacket, white shirt underneath, pants, and a red tie.

"I'm going to my job interview!" Richard said, bringing a surprise to Nicole.

"Interview?" Nicole asked. "Wait, you applied for a job?!"

"Of course I did." Richard said. "Aelita helped me with it. She made me realize that I can't just sit and do nothing all day, so I decided to step up and help support this family. Plus, it's a job that I like, and if I get it, we'll get free pizza!" Nicole's eyes widened, both with surprise and astonishment. She had been trying for years to make Richard think about getting a job. And now he has, all thanks to Aelita!

"W...Wow." Nicole said. "I... I didn't even think it was possible."

"Well, I can't be a stay-at-home dad forever." Richard said, and gave his wife a kiss on the cheek. "Wish me luck on my interview!" He then went out the door, and hopped into the car, and took off. As Nicole saw him off, she gave a smile.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course, we have to tell her."

Nicole heard voices coming from the stairs. Turning her head she saw Gumball and Aelita coming down the steps.

"Hi Mom." Gumball said.

"Good morning, Mrs. Watterson." Aelita said.

"Morning kids." Nicole said. "You two seem like you've slept well."

"Yeah, it was the best sleep I've ever had." Aelita said.

"Good to hear." Nicole said. She couldn't help but smile at the girl, but there was a couple of tears that seemed visible. Deep down the older cat was feeling great grief for the girl. Hearing her entire story of everything she's been through, everything and everyone she lost. It was heartbreaking. She couldn't believe how she managed to survive all that. Nicole tried her best to hide it, but it was something that Gumball noticed. The mama cat approached the girl and gave her a big hug, much to her surprise and confusion.

"Mrs. Watterson, are you ok?" The girl asked.

"Yes, I'm fine..." Nicole said, though her voice trembling a teeny bit showed that she was lying. She wasn't feeling fine. She was feeling sorry for the poor girl. Gumball was a bit surprised by this action. Just yesterday, Mom was suspicious after Anais dug up all the information about Aelita and her father. But now, his mom was feeling compassion, and sympathy? Was this a good sign? Neverless, he had to convince her to let Aelita stay.

"Mom, we need to talk about something." Gumball said.

"Actually Gumball, I... uh... I need to go somewhere real quick." Nicole said, releasing herself and ending the hug.

"Ummm... where are you going?" Gumball asked.

"Oh, just to go for a walk, that's all." Nicole said as she moved toward the door. "I'll be back in a while, ok? Bye!" She then bolted out the door, closing it behind her. Outside she turned away, and gave a heavy sigh. Just seeing poor Aelita just made Nicole want to cry. So many feels were going through her body. She felt sorry for her. But... what can Nicole do about it? After everything that happened to that poor girl, Nicole just couldn't turn her in for the safety of her own family. Perhaps part of her wants her to stay with them, because it's the right thing to do.

But then, an idea came to her head. There was one person that can give her the answer she needed. She rose up from the floor and pulled out her cellphone. Typing in the number, she lifted it to her ear as it rang.

"Hello?" a rough raspy voice asked.

"Hey, old friend." Nicole spoke through.

"Nicole, is that you?" The voice asked again.

"Yeah, it's me..." Nicole said. "Hey listen, I need to talk to you in private. Can we meet up at our usual spot?"

"Sure thing, I'm not busy at the moment." The voice said. "I'll meet you there."

"See you soon." Nicole said as she hung up and departed from the porch, heading off to this usual spot.

Back inside however, Gumball was quite surprised by his mom's sudden leave. And for a second... did she look like she was about to cry?

"Well, that was awkward." Gumball said.

"So, what now?" Aelita asked. "We wait until your mom comes back?"

"Might have to." Gumball said. "But I guess we can take this time to find a way to convince mom to let you stay."

"Let who stay?" The voice made the two jump in surprise. Turning around, they saw a ghost. Really, they saw a white, translucent ghost with a ghostly tail in place of her legs, with a hair clip that resembles a skull with wings. She wore a grey button shirt, with a grey-black skirt. Her bangs cover her left eye, though it ca swing over to her right. She had a magenta and cyan lining around her whole body, making her look like a 3D anoglyph image. She had black eyebrows, and her teeth were a bit sharp and pointed.

Gumball knew this ghost well. It was Carrie Kruger, the stereotypical emo who actually enjoys being miserable, or a punk rock chick in her words. She actually likes hanging out with none-emo kids, especially with innocent happy Darwin, who is actually her boyfriend.

"'Sup?" She asked.

"Carrie, what are you doing in our house?" Gumball asked.

"Darwin invited me a few minutes ago." Carrie said, though her attention was drawn to Aelita. "Whoa... who's the girl?"

"Oh yes, Carrie, this is Aelita." Gumball said, pulling the pink haired girl to the ghost. "Aelita, this is Carrie." Aelita, however, nearly felt terrified as she saw the apparition.

"A...Are you... a ghost?" Aelita asked.

"Yeah, I'm a ghost." Carrie said. "What, you've never seen a ghost before?"

"Uh-uh..." Aelita said, shaking her head.

"Really?" Carrie asked. "Not even Danny Phantom, or Casper the Friendly Ghost?"

"No." Aelita said with another shake.

"I take it that you're new here, right?" Carrie asked.

"Yes, I am..." Aelita said.

"Oh, well, don't worry, I won't scare you or anything." Carrie said as she moved her head back, shifting her bangs to the side a bit. "I only scare weaklings and bullies."

"Uhhh... ok?" Aelita said. The ghost girl looked at the girl, and then glanced down at her bump, then back at her face.

"Anyway, Carrie-" Gumball said.

"Wait." The ghost said as she moved in closer to get another scan at Aelita, almost as if she was gazing into her soul... which she was. With her fingerless arms, she touched Aelita's cheeks and gazed at her, leaning her head closer to the girl, as if she was about to kiss her. But... she wasn't, she was staring at the human girl before her. Then suddenly, the ghost gasped in surprise.

"Carrie?" Gumball asked, unable to get the ghost's attenion. Suddenly, Carrie's eyebrows lowered into a sad face, with a tear forming in her eye.

"You poor, poor soul..." The ghost said, and then she hugged and nuzzled Aelita, who was a bit surprised that the ghost can touch her.

"Uhhh... Carrie?" Gumball asked. "What were you doing?"

"I saw... I saw everything..." Carrie said.

"Wh...what?" Aelita asked.

"I saw deep into your soul... and saw everything that you've been through." Carrie said. "I know... everything..." Aelita's eyes widened with even more surprise. Did this ghost read her mind?

"H...How?" She asked.

"I have the power to see the memories of other people, just like you." Carrie said. "And I also did the same thing on Gumball a while back when me and Darwin started dating."

"What?" Gumball asked. "What are you talking about? You don't know anything about me."

"Oh yeah I do." Carrie said. "I know that you were attacked by a tarantula that was on toilet at the Fitzgerald's house." The blue cat froze in place, shocked. He never told anyone that. He took a deep breath.

"Okay, she knows everything." Gumball said.

"Knows what?" Another voice spoke in the room. Turning their heads, they saw Darwin coming down the stairs.

"Nothing buddy." Gumball said. "You let Carrie in?"

"Of course I did." Darwin said. "Mom was cool with it. Besides, she is my girlfriend."

"You're dating a ghost?" Aelita asked. "How is that even possible?"

"Hey, what can I say?" Carrie said as she moved a bit closer to Darwin, nuzzling his cheek. "He's cute."

"And she's amazing..." Darwin said as he nuzzled her back. "Oh yeah, introductions. Aelita, this is Carrie Kruger. Carrie, this is Aelita, Gumball's new girlfriend." The blue cat blushed suddenly with a shocked expression, as did Aelita.

"Oh no, she's not my girlfriend." Gumball quickly said.

"Right, we're just friends." Aelita said, both them giving a nervous chuckle. Darwin only gave a smile.

"It's only a matter of time." Darwin said.

"Listen, Darwin, we need your help." Gumball said, changing the subject. "We're trying to figure out a way to convince mom in letting Aelita stay with us for real, and not kick her out."

"But tomorrow's Friday." Darwin said. "And why?"

"Well it's because... uh..." Gumball was about to say more, but he froze. He didn't know how to say it. Aelita's past has been sad and gruesome to begin with, and he was unsure if Darwin could handle it. Could he even understand or believe them?

"It's ok." Aelita said, her hand on the blue cat's shoulder. "You can tell him."

"Are you sure?" Gumball asked. The girl gave a sincere nod.

"Tell me what?" Darwin asked.

"Darwin..." Gumball said, getting a box of tissues and placing them in the fish's arms. "We need to tell you something, and it's pretty dark..." And just like that, Gumball and Aelita began to tell him everything. They told him about Franz Hopper, his time with Project Carthage, where he and Aelita went into a super computer to escape capture and ended up trapped in there for almost a decade. Her being freed by her friends, and helped her defeat XANA and erase him from existence, then the school attack, her friends getting slaughtered and the experimentations. They did their best to avoid the times she was assaulted during her capture and time on the streets. Within two hours, they were finished with the story.

"And that's how she ended up here." Gumball said as Aelita gave a nod. Darwin sat there for a brief few seconds. The whole time they were talking, when they got to the battle with XANA, his face was completely shocked, which was the same expression when Gumball tried to help Mr. Robinson laugh when they were up in the attic with his Pea on a Fork joke. He gasped.

"Sooo... wait a minute." Darwin said, trying to take in everything that his brother and Aelita were telling him. "You're telling me that Aelita... is actually the daughter of a scientist named... Waldo... Franz... what's his name again?"

"Franz Hopper." Aelita answered.

"Right, Franz Hopper." The fish with legs continued. "And he used to be part of this group who were working on quantum physics and all that shiznit, where they were gonna use it to conquer the world?"

"Yes." Gumball said.

"Ok, so he ended up backing out, lost his wife in the process, and when they find him, he trapped himself and Aelita into a computer?" Darwin asked. Looking at each other, and back at Darwin, the two gave a nod.

"Alright, then she gets out thanks to these other teenagers, and they battled an evil computer program that was heckbent on destroying the world?" Darwin asked.

"Yes, Darwin." Gumball said. The fish began to think it through, and then his eyes widened with amazement.

"WHOOOA!" Darwin said, making his cute little happy face. "It's like the movie Tron, except it has more then one guy! But wait... why did she run away?"

"Because, those creeps that were after her father came back and slaughtered everyone she knew and loved." Gumball said.

"Ok... and they kidnapped her and did some experiments on her, and that's why she's going to have a baby?" Darwin asked. All eyes were turned to Aelita. Giving a blush, she looked away a bit, and her arms were on her stomach.

"Yes..." She replied.

"Oh... HOW TRAGIC!" Darwin said as he began to cry, using the tissues to wipe the tears away, and clung to Carrie for support. "What kind of terrible people would do such a terrible and horrific thing to a girl like her!?"

"It's ok, Darwin." Carrie said as she stroked the scales on the fishboy's head.

"And that is why we need to convince mom to let her stay with us." Gumball said.

"But... how are we gonna do that?" Darwin asked. "Mrs. Mom is one tough woman to convince, and I'm actually surprised that you managed to guilt-trip her into letting Aelita stay with us until tomorrow!"

"Yeah, I didn't actually think I was gonna pull that off." Gumball said. "But... I do have an idea... though it might take us the whole day to do it."

"And what's that?" Darwin asked. The blue cat looked around, seeing how a bit of a mess this whole room was. In fact, the whole house looked like it hasn't been cleaned in like... ever.

"Darwin, get your cleaning gloves." Gumball said. "We have a house to clean up."

* * *

It took Nicole a couple hours to get to her "usual spot", where she would secretly talk to someone she knows. No, she's not having an affair. She comes out here to talk with someone she knows since her teenage years, and has been in contact since. Sitting on the bench, she waited patiently. Pretty soon, sitting down next to her was a white hairy humanoid yeti, though his appearance closely resembles a gorilla. He has large muscles and abs, small hands, and eyes with yellowish sclera. His only clothing was his blue jeans and brown belt. He was about 6'7. And that's tall.

"Thank you for coming, Skips." Nicole said.

"Well, you better have a good reason." Skips said. "Benson's probably wondering where I'm at."

"That's his problem." Nicole said. "I still can't believe that guy is still running the Park Supervision. It was nice when Pops was running it."

"Yeah, but that can't be helped." Skips said. "I still hear Mordecai and Rigby calling him a jerkass."

"Ha... jerkass." Nicole said as the two laughed. Yes, Skips is an immortal yeti who works at the local park as a groundskeeper. Very wise he is, and has knowledge of many things due to his past. He's around 512 years old, and that's old, yet he's muscular and doesn't even look a century old. Everyone relies on him to solve many supernatural problems and he always has the answer... almost at least. He's usually quiet, spending most of his time working out in his home, which is mostly a garage. He skips all the times, which could be why his name is Skips.

Interestingly, he and Nicole has been friends since the latter was a teenager. How they know each other? It's a secret.

"So... what'd you bring me out here for anyway?" Skips asked.

"I need to ask you something..." Nicole said.

"What is it?" Skips asked. The mama cat let out an exhausted sigh.

"I know this family who... recently brought in a young girl off the streets." Nicole said. "She's pregnant, and has nowhere else to go, and her parents... they're out of the picture."

"Does this family know much about this girl?" Skips asked.

"Well, the family's daughter dug up some information regarding the girl's father, that he's done some... illegal activities and stole stuff from the government." Nicole said. "But the mother overheard her son and the girl talking last night and learned a lot about her. According to the girl, her father's used to be part of an international science group many years ago, and that they were planning to dominate the world without him knowing the truth, and he bailed out and he and his daughter has been in hiding for... quite some time until he... passed away. His daughter went to a school for some time, and the people who were after him found her and killed her friends. They kidnapped her... tortured her... and experimented on her... resulting in her pregnancy. She was able to escape and has been on the streets for quite some time... And now, the family's mother is trying to figure out what she should do." A thinking moan came from the yeti.

"Do you like her?" Skips asked, making the mama cat perk her ears up.

"How'd you know that-?" Nicole asked.

"You and I have been friends for many years, Nicole." Skips said. "We've worked together, we know each other. But back to the question, do you seem fond of her?" Nicole started thinking. Did she like her? Well, of course she did. She's nice, she's so generous too, and also smart. Not as smart as Anais, but if anything, Aelita is pretty much like the daughter that any parent would want.

"Yes, I do... I do like her." Nicole said.

"Does the rest of ya like her?" Skips asked.

"Well, Gumball likes her a lot." Nicole said. "As for Anais, she's skeptical, but Richard and Darwin like her just as much as me and Gumball. And you won't believe this, but she actually managed to help Richard to help out with the family and get a job. That and she's making sure the boys aren't getting into too much trouble."

"Well then, I don't see any harm of letting her stay." Skips said.

"But... those people that were after her." Nicole said. "What if there is a chance that they find her... and us?"

"Is that gonna stop you?" Skips asked.

"Should it?" Nicole asked.

"I don't have an answer for that, but I do know there is also something else you're not telling me." Skips said. The mama cat only lowered her head.

"You remember the accident last year?" Nicole asked. "That was the same day Gumball lost the girl of his dreams. He's been so devestated and depressed ever since, and there was rarely a time that I would see him smile. But ever since bringing that girl into our home, he's been improving. I actually saw him smile and laugh yesterday. It was like, he was his usual self again." Nicole only lowered her head in shame, trying to figure out what to do.

"If I call the police and turn her in, Gumball will hate me." Nicole said. "And I don't want to see him miserable for the rest of his life... Oooh... I don't know what to do." She felt a warm hand touch her shoulder, making her turn to see her friend.

"Like I said, Nicole, I don't have a right answer for you." Skips said. "But if anything, you just need to think what's best for everyone. That girl has lived all alone, and your son has been unhappy. Things have been better since you brought her in, and to be honest it was about time that Richard got off that couch. You need to think about them, and your family." The mama cat then stared at the ground, and continued thinking. She began to take in what Skips was telling her. Make the right choice for Aelita, for Gumball, and the family. She took in a deep breath.

"I know what I want to do." She said.

* * *

Anais was just coming out of her room, in a happy mood. She was humming the Daisy the Donkey theme song. It's because she's looking forward to see mom kick that little skank out the house. No way they're gonna keep a fugitive in their house. And besides, with her gone, everything can go back to the way it was, as it should be. The bunny came down the stairs, to see something she wasn't expecting. She was seeing her brother sweeping up the floor with the vacuum cleaner, cleaning everything in his path. Turning her head, she saw Aelita dusting the table and TV stand and the shelf with the dust mop, catching whatever lint and dust ball she could find. Looking at the couch, Carrie was digging through the couch and getting rid of whatever was under the cushions, while also picking up trash off the ground. And Darwin, he was in the kitchen, cooking.

"What is going on here?" Anais asked.

"We're cleaning the house up." Gumball said.

"Why?" Anais asked.

"That's none of your concerns." Gumball said as he continued to vacuum all the dirt and junk off the floor. "Darwin, is the food in yet?"

"Yep!" Darwin said, inside the kitchen, placing the nicely made Sandvich Supreme, which Gumball taught him to make after he learned to make the sandwich himself after watching_ Cooking with Heavy Weapons Guy_.

"Why are we making food again?" Darwin said.

"To make mom even more happy!" Gumball said very quickly as he continued to vacuum. "Plus, we haven't had lunch yet. Now be sure to set it for 350 degrees!"

"Ok... wait did he say 530?" Darwin asked. Everyone was putting lot of effort to make the house clean, while Anais was just standing there. She then turned to Aelita, who was dusting the shelf and TV stand.

"What are _you_ doing?" Anais asked.

"Cleaning." Aelita said. "Is that a crime?"

"Uh, it is if you're a guest in our house." Anais said. "What are you guys even cleaning the house for?"

"We're trying to make mom happy, that's what!" Gumball said as he went over to help Aelita. The bunny watching realized what was going on. They're trying to get mom and a good mood to convince her to let that little whore stay with them. She wasn't worried however, because her mom was on her side already. So their efforts were already fruitless.

"Hey Darwin!" Gumball said. "Turn on some groovy music!"

"Ok!" Darwin said as he turned on the radio, which began to play some Mexican dance music.

"Need some help with that?" Gumball asked as he held his hand on the duster.

"Sure." Aelita said, and surprisingly, the two began to dance to the music, both of them holding the duster to dust not only the shelf and stands, but also everything in the room. As they did, the two couldn't help but laugh and giggle as they danced together while cleaning the house. Anais stood there, and her face suddenly went from shock to angry. She was giving a cold stare at the two, but mostly at Aelita.

"_What the hell_?" the bunny thought. "_How dare that girl dance with my brother! That should be her dancing with him!_" The bunny realized what she was just thinking. She then shook her head to get the thoughts out of her mind. As she did, the two stopped dancing, both of them dropped facing up on the couch. The entire living room was clean.

"Wooo… that was some work." Gumball said as he shook his head a bit and wiped his forehead. "You feel ok?"

"Sure was." Aelita said. "You know, I haven't had this much fun since back home." The two gave another chuckle, and the blue cat wiped his forehead again, feeling a bit hot.

"Man, I feel a bit hot." Gumball said as he got up, and then took off his hoodie and then proceeded to take his sweater off. "Is it alright if I take this off for a bit?"

"Of course you can." Aelita said.

"Thanks." Gumball said as he finished taking his sweater off, revealing nothing but a tuff of fur on his chest. As he stretched a bit, Anais, who saw her brother take his sweater off, only froze in place, seeing her brother... her cute and handsome brother... without his shirt. Anais only gulped, blushed, and had her mouth opened, seeing her brother flexing a bit as he stretched. She was so astonished and attracted by her brother's body, blood started coming out of her nose, much to Darwin's notice.

"Hey Anais, your nose is bleeding." He said. She didn't answer. She continued to stare at her brother.

"Anais?" Darwin asked as he touched the bunny's shoulder. She then reacted by kicking him in the face, sending him against the wall. "Ow!"

"That's what you get for touching me, Fishboy!" Anais said.

"Excuse me..." Carrie said as she popped from underneath Anais, making the bunny yelp and jump off the stairs, pulling her dress down so no one would see her underwear.

"What are _you_ doing here?!" Anais asked.

"Darwin let me in." Carrie said. "And I'm helping them clean."

"Why were you under the stairs?" Anais asked.

"To get the gunk off, that's what." Carrie said, showing her scrapper, which had loads of gunk on it, all that nasty stuff that was under the stairs. "Looks sick doesn't it?"

"Ugh..." Anais said, disgusted by the nasty stuff Carrie was showing her. The bunny then covered her mouth, feeling her breakfast coming up from her stomach. She then made her way back up the steps and into the bathroom, leaning above the toilet, letting out the vomit. Carrie only smiled.

"That's what she gets for kicking my boyfriend." She said with a wink. Speaking of whom, the fish with legs got back to his feet, and looked out the window. He gasped. Outside, he saw Nicole coming along the sidewalk and heading for their home.

"Mom's Almost At The Door!" Darwin shouted. Gumball gasped as he jumped off the couch. He then noticed that there were filled up trash bags in the doorway to the kitchen.

"Quick, Let's get the trash out of here!" Gumball called back.

"But the trash bins are too full." Aelita said.

"Don't worry, I got an idea." Carrie said as she flips her hair. She reached into her shirt pocket and pulled out a pair of scissors. The blades of the scissors were of a metal material, while the grip was grey and black, with the bolt that kept them together was that of a small white skull. She then turned and opened them. As she hurled them slightly, the bottom end of the scissors cut through an invisible wall and she cut up a hug hole, revealing a swirling portal.

"Whoa..." Gumball and Darwin said.

"Just toss the trash in here." Carrie said.

"Ok!" The two said as the cat and fish with legs picked up the trash bags and threw them in. With all the trash gone, the portal closed up.

"What was that?" Gumball asked.

"Dimension Scissors." Carrie said as she revealed the pair of scissors. "They can open portals to other worlds, taking you anywhere you want."

"Where did you get those?" Gumball asked.

"They used to belong to my father." Carrie said. "I found these at the old house he used to live in, and I've had them ever since."

"So to what world did we take the trash to?" Darwin asked.

"Oh, somewhere." Carrie said, though a little sneaky smile showed that she knew where the trash went.

* * *

**Meanwhile... at the Elmore Prison Ward**

Inside a cell at Elmore's Prison Ward, Miss Simian and former Principle Brown were sitting on a bench, now wearing orange jump suits. Normally prisoners would where shits and pants striped with black and white, but apparently, orange is the new black so to speak.

"Well, at least it can't get any worse." Brown said. Suddenly, a swirly portal opened above the two, and then suddenly, bags of trash fell on top of them, covering them with dirt, rotten food, dust, and all sorts of gunk.

"I spoke to soon..." Brown said as Miss Simian was ready to lose her temper.

"GUMBAAAALLLLL!" She shouted, resulting with a security guard jumping into the cell and tackling her.

* * *

**Back at the Watterson House**

Nicole had finally just arrived at her house after her talk with Skips. She then proceeded to open the door.

"Kids, I'm home...?" Nicole asked, walking into the room, and her eyes widened at what she saw. She saw Gumball, Darwin, Aelita, and of course Carrie standing there. Not only that, the house... was spotless! It was was in neat condition! It was... clean!

"Surprise!" The four called out with smiles, while the mama cat stood there astonished.

"Wow... you guys cleaned up the house?" Nicole asked.

"We sure did!" Darwin said.

"Oh, and we made food too!" Gumball said. "Well, it's still cooking though but..."

**-BOOOM!-**

The sound of an explosion right behind them took the group by surprise. Turning around, they saw smoke coming from inside the kitchen. Rushing inside, they saw the oven, giving off a bit of smoke, and the lid was open. Looking inside, they saw what was suppose to be the sandvich supreme that they were cooking, which now looked like something burst out of it.

"Dude, what happened?!" Gumball asked in panic.

"I set it to 530 degrees, just like you said." Darwin said.

"No, I told you to set it at 350 degrees." Gumball said.

"Oooooh... my bad." Darwin said with a nervous smile. Nicole moved forward to see, only for this.

**-BOOOM!-**

"AHHH!" Gumball and Darwin shouted in surprise as the sandwich splattered all over their mom! She was covered in cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, anchovies, meat, chicken. Yeah, and it was cooked. The mama cat turned around until her body was faced toward the boys. There was silence, so to the boys' horror, it meant that she was gonna get sooo… sooo… mad.

"Uh oh..." Gumball said, knowing what was coming next. "Here comes the screaming...!" They backed away, preparing for her to go full Mama Demon on them. Nicole then wiped the food off her face and she... was laughing.

Nicole was laughing... she was laughing! The boys stood there surprised.

"She's... laughing?" Gumball asked. Yes, she was. For the first time in almost a year, Nicole was laughing so hard, that she fell to the ground. Gumball, Darwin, and Aelita looked at her, and then at each other, and they suddenly found themselves laughing too. They fell to the ground and laughed along with Nicole. Then suddenly, Nicole picked some of the food on her face, and threw it at Gumball's face, laughing. Feeling the food slam into his face meant one thing.

"FOOD FIGHT!" Gumball called out with a grin.

"Oh, no, little man." Nicole said. "This is a FOOD WAR!" Taking the piece of sliced tomato off her shirt, she threw it at Gumball, who laughed and threw a piece back. The two happily continued their Food War, while Aelita, Darwin, and Carrie joined in.

"What was that ruckus?" Anais asked as she came into the room, only for some food to be thrown at her direction. She ducked and saw everyone having a food war, much to her shock. "What is wrong with you?!"

"We're having a Food War." Darwin said.

"You're making a mess in here!" Anais said. "Wait until Mom comes ba-" Before she finished however, she saw Mom, who was throwing food as well.

"MOM?!" Anais asked. "What are you-"

"Having a food war, sweetie!" Nicole said.

"WHAT?!" Anais asked, surprised that her mom was joining in on the fun. Before the bunny could say anymore, food was thrown right into her face, making her blink. She wiped it off and moaned.

"Eeewww… vegetables." Anais said. As the food war raged on, the front door opened up, revealing Richard coming in with a smile.

"Hey everybody, I'm home!" Richard called out, but then froze as he saw his family throwing food at each other.

"What Is Going On In Here?!" He asked, his voice sounding demanding, getting everyone's attention. "You guys are having a food war?! ...Without Me?!"

"Yes." Gumball said.

"Well... A New Challenger Approaches!" Richard said as he jumped and joined in with a smile, throwing food off the floor and into the air. Seeing him join made everyone smile and continue the war, except for Anais, who was still confused by what was happening. Pretty soon, after what seemed like forever, everybody, minus Anais were on the ground, laughing and giggling, not caring about the mess that was made.

"Aw, man, that was fun." Gumball said.

"It sure was, man." Darwin said as everyone got up and calmed down.

"So dad, how'd your interview go?" Gumball asked.

"Well, I got good news!" Richard said. "Guess who became the new delivery boy for Fervidus Pizza!" Once again, he ripped off his suit and revealed his work clothes, which was a green work shirt with a red vest, new pants, and a button pin that displayed Fervidus Pizza on it.

"You finally got your job?" Gumball and Darwin asked.

"You betcha!" Richard said with a smile.

"YAY!" Gumball and Darwin cheered as they gave him a hug.

"That's great, honey!" Nicole said as she rushed up and hugged him.

"Hopefully now you can take some time off and relax." Richard said as he hugged his wife back, giving her a little nuzzle, and making her giggle. Then, Gumball's eyes widened up. That's right, he has to tell mom about Aelita staying with them for real! She was in a good mood now, so now was the time to ask her.

"Hey Mom?" Gumball asked. "There's something that we need to tell you."

"Actually Gumball, I have something to say." Nicole said. She cleared her voice. "Everybody, I have a very special announcement to make, and it involves you Aelita."

"First off, can I say something." Anais said, and then the pink bunny approached Aelita.

"Miss Aelita, I just want to say it was an honor to have you stay with us." Anais said. "And though it is sad that you have to leave, I made you a cake for the special occasion." The six year-old then revealed a nice frosted cake, with a couple of words on it;

**Goodbye and Don't Come Back! Ever!**

Everybody looked at the cake with a bit of confusion, with Gumball feeling offensive about the cake.

"Um... thank you?" Aelita asked. Darwin looked at the pink haired girl, then glanced at the pink bunny.

"Ok, I feel there's a bit of tension going on." The fish spoke.

"Thanks for the cake Anais, but there's no need for that." Nicole said, pushing the little bunny aside. "Aelita, I'm sure you've enjoyed your stay have you?"

"Yes, I really enjoyed my stay here." Aelita said. "It was very nice for all of you to take me under your wing for the past couple of days."

"Well I'm glad you feel that way Aelita." Nicole said. "It was very wonderful to have you too. You've also been such a great helper during your time with us. And helping others is always the right thing to do. So I have decided that you can stay with us and be part of our family." The girl was suddenly taken back, as was Gumball, Darwin, Richard, and Anais.

"R...Really?" Aelita asked.

"Really?!" Gumball asked, a smile coming onto his face.

"Really?!" Richard and Darwin asked in the same expression.

"WHAT?!" Anais asked confused, as the candle went out on the cake.

"Yes." Nicole said. "Really." The blue younger cat stood there, and began to form a smile on his face, the same one as the one he had when he realized people would do anything for him in his mother's wedding dress two years ago.

"YAAAY!" Gumball, Darwin, and even Richard cheered. "She gets to stay!"

"I get to stay?" Aelita asked, a smile forming on her face.

"You get to stay with us!" Gumball said as he hugged the girl tightly.

"You get to stay with us!" Darwin repeated as he hugged the girls's legs.

"I get to stay with you guys!" Aelita cheered as she hugged Gumball and Darwin back.

"YAY, she's part of the family!" Richard spoke as he lifted her and his sons into his arms, forming a bit hug.

"Wow, that's great." Carrie said as she joined in the hug.

However, there was one person who wasn't cheering, and it was Anais. She stood there confused, dropping the cake onto the ground. She was expecting her mom to actually kick the human girl out. But instead, she's letting her stay? They're letting a fugitive live in their house?!

Neverless, the pink bunny gave a fake smile.

"Yay, she gets to stay with us." She said, though her voice was lacking the enthusiaism.

"You know what this calls for?" Richard asked.

"What?" Gumball and Darwin asked.

"A Celebration!" Richard called out.

"YAAAAY!" Gumball and Darwin cheered.

"Wait, what should we do?" Darwin asked.

"We celebrate, that's what!" Richard said. "And luckily for us, I got us...!" Then suddenly, Richard went outside for a split second and came back inside, holding a box of...

"PIZZA!" He called out. Gumball and Darwin made faces of awe.

"YEAH, PIZZA!" The two boys called out. "Pizza, Pizza, Pizza!" Aelita and Nicole couldn't but laugh, while Anais on facepalmed her head.

"Well, since you guys are gonna eat your carbs, I'm gonna go upstairs to washup." Anais said as she made her way up the stairs. "This food is sticking to my ears..."

"Ok, we'll save you some pizza!" Richard said as the bunny disappeared.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Gumball asked. "Let's eat some Pizza!"

"But wait, what about the kitchen?" Darwin asked.

"Oh yeah, we should probably clean the kitchen up first." Gumball said. "Then we eat pizza."

"YAAAY!" The two and Richard called out as they ran into the kitchen to clean up the mess.

"I could eat Pizza too, but I'm a ghost, so I can't eat." Carrie said.

"That's ok." Darwin said to his ghostly girlfriend. "You can use my body, or we can ask Mr. Dad if you can use his body instead."

"Really?" Carrie asked. "Thanks." As the boys and ghost went into the kitchen to clean up, Nicole gave a chuckle.

"Boys will be boys." Nicole said.

"Tell me about it." Aelita said. The girl was so happy herself. This wonderful family, despite it a bit dysfunctional, has allowed her to stay with them. She never imagined how great things have gone for her.

"Thank you Mrs. Watterson." she said. "This... this really means a lot."

"Please, call me Nicole." Nicole responded. "And... um... we need to talk."

"About what?" Aelita asked as the mama cat lead the girl near the couch to talk in private.

"Listen Aelita, I overheard you and Gumball talking last night, and... I know everything." Nicole said, bringing surprise to the girl.

"You do?" Aelita asked.

"Yes, yes I do." Nicole said. "I know about your father, the supercomputer, your friends, the school shooting and the kidnapping. It really broke my heart hearing the horrors that you've been through. I'm sorry you had to go through all that, but now you won't have to ever again. I promise you we won't let anything bad happen to you." Aelita was quite surprised, but yet, she felt relieved that Gumball's mother is willing to take her under her wing. But at the same time, she felt afraid for them. No doubt those people who slain her friends will still be looking for her.

"But... what about... those people, what if they find me?" Aelita asked. "If they were able to find me back there, then what if..."

"If they do, we'll be ready." Nicole said. "We won't let them take you away. And... there's something you should know."

"What is it?" Aelita asked.

"Gumball recently lost someone he loved last year and it hit him pretty hard." Nicole said. "He's been very depressed for a long time. When you came along, he felt like his cheerful self again. Since you came into his life... no... Since you came into our lives, everyone's been more happy. You've been so helpful around here. You've helped me with the kids, you've helped me with the housework, even making sure Richard does what he needs to do, even helped him get a job. You're like the daughter I've always wanted. And to tell you the truth, I'm very glad Gumball brought you here."

"Mrs. Wat... Nicole..." Aelita said.

"I know we can't replace your family, or your friends, but the least we can do is let you be part of our's." Nicole said. The girl looked at her, tears were beginning to form, but they weren't tears of sadness anymore. They were tears of happiness. This family was willing to let her stay, and they've welcomed her into their family. All the years she had suffered, it's what she always wanted, to be part of a family again. And now her wish has come true. In a moment without hesitation, she leaped into Nicole's arms and hugged her tightly.

"Thank you... Thank you so much..." The girl said, nuzzling her head against the mama cat's neck. Nicole gave a heart warming smile and wrapped her arms around her, completing the hug.

"Welcome to the family Aelita." Nicole said.

Their warm hug was seen by the short pink bunny from the top of the stairway. No doubt that Anais heard the entire conversation. And in her eyes, there were actually tears. Not tears of happiness, but tears of sadness. She heard what her mother had said. She called that girl... _the daughter she always wanted_. That was like an arrow had shot through the pink bunny's heart, breaking it. Anais only turned away and went back up the stairs... in sadness... but her eyes began to show a tint or rage.

* * *

_**Later that night... at the Old Factory**_

_**12:35 AM Eastern Time (2:35 PM Japan Time)**_

"We're reaching our destination."

"Take us in."

The helicopter flew over the woods as it was flying in the night. It was approaching the factory, the one that Alyx, Barney, and Chase were investigating. Now it was being looked over by SPD operatives, who were making sure that no one else goes in. The helicopter made a landing near the bridge that connected the forest to the factory.

Out from the side of the helicopter, appeared a teenage japanese boy, somewhere between either fifteen and seventeen. His hair was medium black, straight spiky. He wore a white short sleeve shirt with a black skull in the center of it. A black short sleeve hooded jacket was also over his shirt. His pants were black and leather, and nice black sports shoes were also present on his feet, and the most iconic piece of clothing that he's always seen with is a red scarf wrapped around his neck.

Jamiko CJ Miyamoto, the sixteen year-old japanese boy, one of the youngest top agents of the Space Police Delta within the Devision of Japan. Losing his parents at a young age, he works with the SPD to fight monsters from different dimensions. With him living in Japan, normally he would be in school, because Japan is actually ten hours faster, and it's day time there. However, he was called by the head of the SPD's Japan Devision to head straight for the United States immediately for a special task. What this special task is, he was going to find out.

"Agent Miyamoto!" A voice called out. The boy turned to see Barney standing near the bridge with a wave. "What an honor."

"You better have a good reason for me to be here." Jamiko said.

"We do." Barney said. "C'mon." The man in the suit led on as the teenager followed. "Gotta say, it's really great for you to come. I'm sure that your commander back home gave you the insight?"

"Well, the SPD's Japan Devision told me that you guys would explain it when I got here." CJ said.

"Oh, we will." Barney said. CJ took a glance around, seeing some soldiers in red suits and overalls, some wearing white futuristic tights.

"Your soldiers look... alright, I guess." CJ said.

"Yeah, we've had some budget cutbacks, but they're good at what they do." Barney said. "Say, I have a question, what's Japan like?"

"It's great." CJ said. "Though we kinda do things a bit different."

"Yeah, but you got it good and all that." Barney said. "You guys get all the action, don't ya. Even the tentacle action." The teenager looked at the man with confusion.

"What?" CJ asked, where the man realized what he said.

"What?" Barney asked in quick hesitation.

"Barnes!" A voice called out from the entrance of the factory, revealing Alyx coming out, next to her was Chase, the german shepard super spy pup from eariler. "I'll take it from here."

"Sure thing." Barney said. "I'll leave you three at it."

"Thanks." CJ said as Barney departed from them, with the teenager rolling his eyes and giving a sigh in relief.

"Agent Miyamoto." Alyx said.

"Miss Vance." CJ said. "Good to meet the daughter of Doctor Eli Vance."

"And you're just about to meet him. Alyx said.

"Ahem." The voice came from the pup next to her.

"And this is Chase, one of our newest members of the SPD." Alyx said.

"Hello, Chase." CJ said.

"Hello Agent Miya.. Meya... Mi... moto... uh..." Chase said, having a little trouble pronouncing the word Miyamoto. "Sorry, I'm not familiar with the Japanese language."

"It's no harm." CJ said. "Everyone always has trouble with japanese pronunciation."

"Come on." The girl led the way, as the teenager followed.

"Your friend Barnes, he's a... very interesting friend." CJ said, with a grain of salt on his words.

"Sorry about that." Alyx said. "I heard what he was talking about. He's been watching a little bit of that... Japanese adult anime stuff you guys have."

"I noticed." CJ said. "To be honest, we sometimes get that with everybody recently."

"Well don't worry, you won't get that with us." Alyx said as the went to the lower floor of the factory. Reaching half-way, among some of the soldiers that were in the building, one stood out. Next to the elevator shaft was a dark skinned man. The man was much older, somewhere in his late fifties or early sixties, and he had two different colored eyes, one brown and one blue. He had short gray hair, a beard and mustache. His clothing consisted of a green sleeveless jacket with two pouches on each front side. Aside from the jacket, he wore a turquoise diamond patterned sweater vest with a white sweater underneath. He wore a dark grey leather belt with a gun on one side. He wore light orange tan pants and one brown shoe. His right leg was actually a prosthetic leg, signifying that he lost it at some point in his life.

His name was Eli Vance, originally a research scientist for Black Mesa, but now one of the senior executives of the SPD following the incident that occurred years ago at his old job. There is some story behind it, but that will have to be for later.

"Alyx, sweetie." He said.

"Dad." Alyx said as she hugged her father, and he hugged her back.

"Agent Jamiko Miyamoto." Eli said, looking at the boy.

"Doctor Vance." CJ said as he shook the man's hand. "An honor to meet you in person."

"You as well." Eli said. "I hope we didn't give you a rude awakening."

"Nah, it's fine." CJ said. "It was a bit past morning when you guys called me. "So, you guys call me all the way from Japan to check this factory out?"

"It's much more than a factory." Alyx said as the three made their way toward the Elevator.

"Yeah, we found something underneath this place, and it's so cool." Chase said.

"How cool?" CJ asked as the four stepped into the elevator.

"You'll see." Alyx said as the door closed behind them. She pressed the button on the switch and the elevator began to descend down to the underground floors.

"So, Mr. Miya...uhhhh..." Chase said, still struggling to say the name.

"CJ's fine." CJ said.

"Ok." Chase said. "So CJ, is it like almost 3:00 PM down in Japan?"

"Uh huh." CJ said.

"So, Japan is like... twelve hours faster than we are, right?" Chase asked.

"It sure is." CJ said.

"Wow..." Chase said. "That's amazing." Pretty soon, the elevator came to a halt, and the doors opened up. CJ was the first to step out, and his eyes widened as he saw the strange looking device in the middle of the room. It wasn't just strange, it was breathtaking.

"Whoa..." CJ said. "What is this thing?"

"A supercomputer." Eli spoke. "Built and constructed by Professor Franz Hopper, one of the most brilliant minds in the whole world."

"Franz Hopper?" CJ asked.

"Yep." Eli said.

"He's also a friend of my dad's." Alyx said.

"A friend?" CJ asked as the group made their way into the room.

"Yep." Eli said. "Back then we were both part of the Carthage Project, made by Black Mesa to create a way to transport matter from one place to another."

"What's it for?" CJ asked.

"It houses a virtual world." Eli said.

"A virtual world?" CJ asked.

"Yeah." Eli said. "We were able to turn it on and found an actual hub world inside the computer itself. He called it Lyoko."

"Huh?" CJ said. "Why would he build a digital landscape?"

"We believe he must've placed all of his secrets inside the computer's memory." Alyx said. "We're still running a diagnosis to see what he has in here." CJ glanced back at the computer, seeing it connected to the top of the ceiling.

"It has to take a lot of energy to run a CPU like this." CJ said. "What kind of power does it run on."

"It's powered by Nuclear Energy." Eli said.

"Nuclear Energy?" CJ asked. "There's no Nuclear Reactors or facilities around here that run on it."

"Because it didn't come from a reactor." Eli said. "Someone gave it to him, or he got his hands on one. We had a hazard team investigate below, and they found an Uranium rod inside the power system."

"Uranium rod?" CJ asked. "Must be used as a nuclear battery of some sort. Don't those things last for about 10 years at the most?"

"Yes, but apparently the one inside it now is likely nearly two years old." Eli said. "And if it's that old, that means this computer was used around that time."

"Really?" CJ asked. "You think Franz Hopper came back and used this thing?"

"Impossible." Alyx said. "He disappeared around 1994 and nobody has seen him sense, not even his daughter."

"Daughter?" CJ asked.

"Yeah." Eli said. "It's sad... very sad."

"Well, somebody had to be using this thing." CJ said. "But who?"

"Teenagers." Chase spoke, getting their attention.

"Teenagers?" CJ asked.

"I was able to get a couple of scents while searching for this thing." Chase said. "Three of them were boys, two blonde, one dark haired, and two girls, one pink haired and one black hair, like you. I checked all over town for the scents, but I only managed to follow them to a cemetery in town."

"Teenagers..." CJ said as he began thinking. "Well, there was that attack at that school nearby by some crazy terrorists. If they're in the cemetery they were most likely killed in the attack. But what were they doing with this thing?"

Back up at the surface, while some of the patrol men were standing by, Barney was actually on his tablet, watching videos on YouTube. Whatever he was watching, it was probably funny from the chuckle he gave.

"Man, that Vanoss guy is so funny." He said.

_-CLANG-_

The strange clanging sound made him turn his head, and grip his gun on his belt. The other SPD soldiers heard the sound too, and their raised their guns up in awareness. Barney looked around, seeing nothing, until he heard another clanging sound. His head turned, and saw the open doors that led outside the factory. The sound was coming from out there.

"Go check it out, guys." Barney said. The men nodded and moved forward toward the factory entrance. Stepping out, they looked around, and scanned the view, up, down, left, right. They didn't see anything.

"I don't see anything." The first soldier said. "Must've been a raccoon or some-"

_-SWOOSH-_

Suddenly, a black shadow zoomed in and snatched the first guard, followed by a deathly cry. The second guard raised his gun in shock.

"What the hell was that?!" He asked.

_-SWOOSH-_

"GAAAAAAAAHHH!" The second guard screamed as he was snagged too. Barney's eyes widened, with the rest of the soldiers inside drew their guns, confused of what happened to the other two.

_-BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP-_

The beeping from Barney's belt was coming from a scanner. Picking it up, he examined it. The top part displayed the words KAIJIN TRACKER, and the screen was scanning the whole area. There was a glowing red dot zooming around the factory.

"Oh shit..." Barney said, knowing what was going on. He then lifted his walkie talkie.

"Alyx, come in!" He said. "We have a Kaijin near the area-"

-BOOM!-

The sound of an explosion came from the side of the wall of the factory, causing the glass to break up and scatter across the floor.

"Look out!" a soldier called out, but a mysterious black creature flew in and attacked, firing what seemed to be blades, striking some of the soldiers, and sending them to the ground.

_-Rumble-_

Back below the surface in the computer lab, the sudden force shook the floor around the group inside, almost catching them off guard.

"What the hell was that?" Eli asked confused. Chase glanced back up to the ceiling, sensing something is wrong.

"Something's wrong." Chase said.

"Alyx, Come In! Alyx!" The sound from Alyx's walkie talkie made the girl pick it up.

"Barnes, what the hell's going on up there?" Alyx asked.

"The Scanner picked up a Kaijin!" Barney spoke over the radio, getting CJ's full attention. "It's inside the factory!" There were gun shot fires also coming from the radio, showing that they were fighting something up there.

"We need to get back up there." CJ said.

Back up at the surface, the soldiers were pointing their guns and firing, shooting at the strange black creature, which was hovering in the air. Although the guns they were holding were sub-machine gun blasters, the energy bullets weren't doing much though, as the kaijin was not flinching as much. It then shot out sharp blades, taking down more of the men, though they weren't critically injured. Barney jumped out the way, seeing a blade nearly hit his foot. To his surprise, it was a blade-like feather.

"What the hell?" Barney asked as he looked back, seeing the kaijin waving it's massive arms, sending the soldiers and across the floor. One landed in front of the elevator door, which opened up, revealing CJ, Alyx, Chase, and Eli running out, though the German Shepard pup looked down at the unconscious soldier.

"Ouch." The pup said as he passed him, following the group towards Barney. CJ was the first to stop, followed by Alyx, Eli, and Chase, all of them taking a good look at the monster. And thankfully, the lights came back on so it can be seen. Before them was a humanoid beast, a demonic monster that was a fusion between a vulture, ant, and mantis, with four black wings, one on each arm, and two on it's back. It had a razor-sharp beak and it's legs were that of a mantis! Chase, Eli, Alyx and Barney were a bit surprised by this monster, while CJ looked at the monster as if he knew what it was.

"Good God." Eli said.

"What is that thing?!" Chase asked.

"A Shadowkan." CJ said.

"Shadowkan?" Alyx asked. "You mean those Shadow-Kaijin?"

"The same." CJ said, though he tilted his head. "But to be honest, I never seen one like this before."

"Well whatever it is, it looks like some kind of vulture... with mantis-like legs?" Chase said. "Ryder and the others aren't gonna believe this." Unable to keep it in, the shadow-kaijin let out a loud screech, opening it's sharp beak open.

**VULTURE - FAILED SHADOW / ハゲタカ-失敗した影**

"キル...破壊...キル… / Kiru… Hakai… Kiru…" The monster hissed. As the beast was ready to attack, Barney aimed his gun up, ready to shoot.

"Don't." CJ said with his hand up, ushering Barney to lower his gun. "This one's mine." He then stepped forward, making his way toward the monster, which looked confused.

"Kid, you should probably stay out-" Barney said.

"Don't worry, I got this." CJ said as he kept walking.

"Hey, you sure you wanna go against that thing, kid?" Alyx asked.

"It's cool." CJ said, looking back with a smile. "Fighting monsters is my specialty." Turning forward to face the monster. He took off his backpack and pulled out a strange looking white mechanical belt with a red orb in the buckle region. Tossing his backpack aside, he placed the belt on, locking it on. He stood in place, and pulled out a card from the side of his belt. He then presses a button on the belt that he wore. It lit up.

_SYSTEM AUTHORIZED!_

"SAMURAI-STORM!" CJ called out, and then inserted the card into the buckle. He then gave another shout.

"HENSHIN!"

_HENSHIN ...SWORD-MODE!_

Then, as CJ posed his fighting stance, his body began to glow along with the unit on his belt. Then, suddenly, high tech armor formed on his body. The armor consisted of a black suit, but it had white futuristic armor plates on it. It had a sym-bionic chest plate with a red orb in the middle, dubbed the J.A.P.A.N. Unit. He wore white gauntlets and boots. His helmet had a V shaped antennae on the front, with two yellow lines on the edge of each side. His circular visors were yellow, and he wore a long red scarf around his neck. Behind him, the three watched in awe, of course Barney was surprised.

"Whoa..." He said. "What is that?"

"Japan... CAPTAIN JAPAN!" CJ called out, ready to fight. The Vulture let out another screech, and flew in to fight. CJ charged forward, summoning his Samuraizer Sword, and swung, striking the monster in the chest. The shadowkan countered by swinging it's feathered arms, but CJ deflected with his sword and swung again. The vulture dodged and threw it's other arm, striking CJ from behind, but the masked rider didn't stumble, but leaped up and kicked the monster in the face. The strange shadow-kaijin attempted to jap with it's beak, but CJ held his sword up to block and swing hard, striking it in the neck, making it tumble.

"Are you a vulture or a mantis, cause you're not good at being both." CJ asked. The vulture got angry, and then flew up into the air with it's back wings. It then swing it's arms forward, sending out sharp feather darts to strike. CJ dodged as best he could, but a lone feather struck near his feet, making him tumble backwards.

"Agent Miyamoto!" Chase called out as he charged forward.

"Chase, Wait!" Alyx called out. The vulture shadow caught eye of the superspy pup and swung it's arms again, sending out more feather darts. But the young pup moved in quickly and dodged every single on.

"Alright, let's see what this new pup pack can do!" Chase said, and let out a bark. "TENNIS BALL LAUNCHER!" The pack on Chase's back began to glow, and a small, cannon-like launcher device popped out to Chase's side.

"FIRE!" He called out, and the small cannon aimed forward and fired not a tennis ball, but a sparkling energy ball into the air, striking the shadowkan and sending a electric shock, making the beast fall to the ground and shake a bit.

"Whoa!" Chase said surprised. "That wasn't a tennis ball!"

"It's down!" Alyx called out as she and Barney moved in. The superspy pup approached the masked rider and nudged him.

"Agent Miyamoto, are you ok?" Chase asked. Luckily, the older boy moved and lifted himself up.

"Yeah, I'm good." CJ said, and looked around. "Where's the Shadowkan?"

"I got it with some kind of static ball... or something." Chase said.

"It was an electric stun ball." Alyx said as she approached the two. "Stuns anyone and anything that gets hit by it for a limited time."

"Guys, I think that time is up!" Barney said, seeing the vulture shadowkan get back up and into the air. On instinct, Barney aimed his pistol and fired, hitting the shadowkan, but it was barely doing anything.

"Dammit, it's not doing much." Barney said. CJ got back up and reached for his belt, pulling out a high-tech driver.

"Let's see if this will do more." CJ said as he placed the drive into a slot on his belt.

_Installing Buster-Driver - BUSTER MODE!_

CJ then flashed immediately as he got back up, forming another battle stance, while more armor was added to his body magically, along with an arm cannon on his left arm, and a metal blade on his right arm.

"Wow!" Chase said. "What kind of form is that?"

"Buster-Mode." CJ said as he stepped forward to fight the shadowkan. The vulture attempted to fly down and strike, but CJ swung his arm sword, striking the shadowkan in the face, shattering it's sharp beak. He then aimed his Buster-Cannon and fired, shooting the kaijin. Each shot landed an explosive impact on the vulture, not only sending it to the ground, but also burning it's wings. It fell to it's knees.

"Alright, time to finish it off!" CJ said as his Buster-Mode disappeared, but his sword transformed into something more similar to a kantana. His samuraizer sword can turn into a Kantana-Mode, one which is used to finish off a monster he fights.

_Kantana-Mode Initiated!_

"Time for the Final Blow!" CJ called out as he charged forward. "_KANTANA RAPPA FINISH!_" With a mighty swing, he sliced through the Vulture-Shadow, making it spark up with smoke, and then with a loud screech, it exploded, leaving nothing but dust in it's death. Chase watched with utter shock, while Alyx and Barney watched with amazement, as CJ made a victory pose.

"Monster's dead." He said with a thumbs up.

"That... was... AWESOME!" Chase said as he barked. CJ then brushed his shoulders.

"Nice one!" Barney said. "You Japs know the way of a samurai."

"Thanks." CJ said. "That's pretty much what I am, actually." Suddenly, Chase noticed something on CJ's helmet, a small red dot zooming slowly over it. The pup's eyes widened, seeing that someone was attempting to shoot.

"Look Out!" Chase said as he leaped onto the boy, sending him down, and a gun shot echoed in the factory, and a bullet flew by, missing both CJ and Chase.

"Whoa!" Barney said as he lifted his gun again and looked around, with Alyx looking around, seeing a suspicious looking figure on the upper floor.

"Up There!" Alyx said as he drew her own pistol and fired, causing the mysterious man to run off.

"Go Zeta team!" The man shouted. "Go!" Then suddenly, mysterious mercenaries in black and green suits moved into the building and aimed their guns.

"Hostiles!" Eli shouted. "SPD, Fire Back!" On call, the SPD operatives drew their blasters and fired back, causing a shoot out with the mysterious mercenaries. CJ then slowly got up.

"You alright?" Chase asked.

"Yeah, I'm alright." CJ said. "Thanks for the save."

"No biggie." Chase said. "Sorry for pushing you like that."

"It's no problem." CJ said, who then looked up to see the man who shot at him running out the entrance.

"C'mon, let's get him!" CJ said as he and Chase moved forward. "Miss Vance, you and the others deal with the hostiles."

"Alright!" Alyx said. "You guys go ahead." As CJ and Chase head up to the next floor and leave the building, Alyx and the others keep firing on the mercenaries, who continue to keep shooting. Eli then went to one of the crates near the elevator and opened it, pulling out a strange looking device with a Xen Crystal at it's core, almost looking like a grenade launcher, but at the end were three claw like sprouts on the edge of the device. This was a Zero Point Energy Field Manipulator, otherwise known as a Gravity Gun. Eli turned to one of the crates that had grenades inside, and then aimed the gun at them. The gun shot out a beam, which pulled one of the bombs to the front of the gun. Turning back at the attackers, he aimed, and pushed the button, sending out a strong force that flew the bomb upwards and toward the hostiles.

"Look Out-!" one of the mercenaries shouted, but it was too late, as the bomb exploded as it hit the ground, killing some of the men. The other mercenaries attempted to retreat, but Eli grabbed more of the bombs with the gravity gun and flung them back, killing all but one of the mercenaries, who was then shot down by Alyx.

"Nice shot, baby." Eli said.

"Thanks, dad." Alyx said. "Good throwing."

"Well, this gun is my favorite." Eli said.

Back outside, CJ and Chase were chasing the man, who was wearing a black suit. He waved his hand, signaling a black swat-team like truck to pull up and open the rear doors, allowing him to jump inside.

"Drive!" He shouted, and then the doors closed, and the vehicle drove off.

"Oh No!" Chase said as the truck rode on the road. "He's getting away!"

"Not yet he isn't." CJ said as he pressed the buttons on his wrist watch.

_TRI-BUSTER MOBILIZED!_

Suddenly, out of the blue, a go-kart high tech tricycle arrived at the scene right near CJ and the superspy pup. It was CJ's personal ride, he Tri-Buster, which comes with head-lights that turn into laser cannons, twin missile launchers built into the hood, and a plasma blade that can slice through anything.

"Whoa..." Chase said. "What's that?"

"It's my ride." CJ said.

"And... it's a tricycle?" Chase asked.

"Comes with missile launchers." CJ said.

"Wow..." Chase said even more amazed.

"I know." CJ said with a wink. "Let's go!" He and the pup hopped into the vehicle, and drove off after the truck. Luckily for them, the hostile truck wasn't too far, and they were gaining up on it. The driver looked back and shouted. The doors opened up, revealing the suited man, with a couple of mercenaries.

"Kill Him!" He shouted, and he men aimed their guns and fired at will, making CJ swerve the Tri-Buster a bit to dodge.

"Whoa!" Chase shouted. "They're shooting at us!"

"Then we shoot right back." CJ said as he clicked some buttons on the wheel, with the head-lights flashing, revealing laser cannons coming out and firing laser bullets, shooting one of the mercenaries, making him scream and tumble out of the truck.

"Idiots!" The suited man shouted. He then looked at one of the mercenaries and pushed him out, sending him to his death. CJ swerved again to dodge the poor guy rolling onto the road.

"Hang on pup!" CJ said as he pushed down onto the pedal, going faster to catch up with the truck. But surprisingly, he moved to the right, and started to pass the truck.

"Wait, we're passing the truck." Chase said.

"I know." CJ said.

"Why?" Chase asked.

"We're gonna shoot it at the front." CJ said as he kept going faster, fully passing the truck and moving in front of the truck. "Now watch this!" He pressed the button on the wheel, and the vehicle lit up.

_REVERSE MODE ACTIVATED!_

Then, the Tri-Buster turned around completely, but it was going backwards at the same speed.

"Whoa!" Chase said. "Is this even Legal?" The truck driver before them was shocked, but CJ gave a salute and pressed on the wheel, shooting his laser cannons again, this time hitting both tires. The truck began to swerve out of control, making it go right. The man in the back jumped out and landed on his front, while the driver and the truck, crashed into a tree, with the driver being thrown out of his seat through the front window, and into the tree, severely injuring him. The Tri-Buster came to a slow stop before parking. CJ and Chase hopped out, with the latter seeing the crashed truck in the tree, and the driver unconscious.

"Guess he wasn't wearing his seat belt." Chase said. "That's a ticket for him when he wakes up." CJ couldn't help but chuckle, then noticed the suited man on the ground, trying to drag himself away because of his injured leg. The Masked Rider then approached him, turned him up, and lifted him for interrogation.

"Alright, Who sent you?" CJ asked the man, who only gave an evil smile.

"Ha... the SPD sends their legendary Captain Japan to fight us?" He asked.

"I won't ask again." CJ said as he shook the man once. "Who sent you?!"

"We are one of many." The man said, biting down on something in his mouth. "You think you've gotten rid of them... but we're in the process of making more of them..." Suddenly, the man's mouth began to foam up, showing what he bit down appears to be some cyanide pill, a tablet that can kill someone who swallows or digests it, either for them to escape a painful death, or just to die a coward. Either way, his death clock started ticking fast.

"Making more of what?" CJ asked as he shook the dying man. "The Shadowkan?"

"The Dark Phoenix... shall rise!" The man said, still foaming some more, until he gave a hack and a dying gasp. His body stopped shaking, and his face stopped twitching too. The mysterious man was dead. CJ gave a sigh as he lowered the man's body to the ground, while Chase stood there shocked.

"Is he... dead?" Chase asked.

"Yeah, he's dead." CJ said as he got up.

"Whoa..." Chase said, feeling a bit disturbed. "He killed himself? Why would he do that?"

"Taking the coward's route, that's why." CJ said.

"Well that's just great." Chase said as he shook his head. "Now we don't know who sent them."

"It's alright." CJ said as he knelt down and scratched the pup's head. "What matters is that we got them. You did good today, rookie."

"Thanks." Chase said.

"Agent Miyamoto, are you there?" Alyx asked. "Agent Miyamoto, do you copy?" CJ then lifted his arm up, speaking into a communicator on his wrist.

"Yeah, I'm here." CJ said. "You guys alright?"

"Yeah, we're good." Barney said on the communicator. "We managed to take care of the scumbags."

"You managed to get the attacker?" Eli asked.

"Yeah, but he took the easy way out, and some of his accomplices escaped in a truck." CJ said. "Who were those guys?"

"The Dark Phoenix." Alyx said over the communicator. "The creeps that have been using the monsters for their own use. They must've sent that monster to ambush us." The japanese boy only stared on to the direction the trucks left. The man dying said that this Dark Phoenix was in the process of making more... does that mean they're making more Shadowkan? But that's impossible. The only way that would work is if a Shadowkan was working with humans, and they don't even like humans.

"We should probably investigate." CJ said.

"No." Eli's voice spoke. "Going after them would lead to several casualties, and losing some of our men." Barney only gave a sigh of defeat.

"So what do we do?" Barney asked. CJ glanced in his direction. The pup near him started to think. But then an idea came to him as he smiled. They were up against something big, so they needed something bigger... No, someone faster.

"I have an idea." Chase said.

"Who?" Alyx asked. "The Paw Patrol?"

"Nah, I don't want them to get into something this violent." Chase said. "But I know someone who can help. You know him Alyx, he helped you guys during the Black Arms Invasion, and he's a good friend to the Paw Patrol."

"A good friend?" CJ asked.

"Yeah, and trust me, you'll like him." Chase said. "He can really move, he's got an attitude, and he's the fastest thing alive."

"Who?" Jamiko asked.

* * *

**Bet you didn't know what was gonna happen next. Made a little references to the Maury Show, Law & Order, Kamen Rider Amazonz, the Pee-Wee PSA thing, Dr. Hax, and whatever did the creepy but funny daddy thing. And a nice cameo by Tom Tucker from Family Guy, as well as the introduction of one of our heroes of the story.**

**Alright everyone... The Prologue is Over. Act 1 is about to begin!... Whenever I upload it!**

**Now we get to introduce the heroes, while also giving an update on the Wattersons.**

**Tune in next time where we'll introduce the next hero, and from Chase's recent line, you might know him.**

**Oh, and Jamiko Miyamoto / Captain Japan, and the Shadowkan belongs to my dear friend Kainsword-Kaijin. For more information on the character and monsters, check out his DeviantArt page. He's a very talented artist!**

**With the Shadowkan based off of kaijin (humanoid monsters) from the Kamen Rider and Super Sentai (Power Rangers) show, I'd figure Japanese should be the language they speak at times.**

**So Japanese lesson for today!**

**キル...破壊...キル… / Kiru… Hakai… Kiru… = Kill... Destroy... Kill...**

**Anyway, until next time!**


	8. Chapter 8: Sonic the Hedgehog

**Ok people! Now we get to introduce our star of the show! Actually he's not THE star of the show, he's one of the many stars of this story!**

**Sonic is around 16-17 in this story. In Hero-Quest Adventures, he's a bit more mature, but he still has that attitude somewhere. Since this is also adding mature elements into the story, our blue hedgehog is gonna be dealing with some drama. You'll have to read the story and find out. But don't worry, he's still the same Sonic we all know and love. He's just a little... amped up and mature.**

**So anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

**_The Story So Far!_**

_After his triumphant defeat against CHAOS, the ancient Ocean God two years ago. Sonic the Hedgehog has been viewed as a hero by humanity. Since then, he has met many friends during his time in the human land outside his own, and has tackled many adventures along the way, such as dealing with marauders with the help of the Wastelanders, stop a massive space station from impacting the Earth, befriending a team of rescue pups, uncover a massive conspiracy in another galaxy, and as always, battling his greatest nemesis, Dr. Ivo Eggman Robotnik._

_Almost 11 months ago, Sonic was captured by the Huntsclan, which made him cross paths with Jake Long, the American Dragon. Working together, they managed to teach a group of underrated magical creatures to fight back and defeat their captors. Since then, Sonic has lend his help to the American Dragon, who has managed to turn Rose, his junior high sweetheart and apprentice to the Huntsmaster to the side of good. Unfortunately towards the end of Fall, the Black Arms invaded the planet, putting their little war on hold._

_After the defeat of the Black Arms and banishing Eggman to the far reaches of space, Sonic returned to his home and continued his fight with the Huntsclan. Unfortunately, the leader of the Huntsmen has learned his apprentice has been helping the blue hedgehog and the American Dragon, and plans for his ultimate goal to wipe out all magical creatures, which will wipe out half of humanity in return. The goal is connected to the magical Aztec Skulls, in which will grant one wish to whoever brings all 13 together. Only one remains to be found, and Sonic's greatest fight is just up ahead, knowing so little that his next grand adventure was right around the corner._

* * *

_**Chapter 08: Sonic the Hedgehog**_

_**Manhattan**_

_One hour before the Signing Ceremony_

Sleep...

Sleep...

_(RING RING RING)_

Sleep was going great until the phone began to ring ring ring, causing the blue hedgehog lying on the couch to squint his eyes, and then open them, revealing emerald green pupils. He wanted to go back to sleep, but the loud beeping from his phone was preventing him from doing so, and the sunlight peeping in through the window wasn't helping him. He began to stretch, and give a yawn, showing two short canine wolf fangs at the top part of his teeth. Sonic the Hedgehog, the world's most fastest hedgehog, with his speed going more than 700 mph... or maybe even higher than that. For those who don't know, he is actually the son of Aleena Caspion, the former Princess of the Kingdom of Mophius, who left her life living in royalty to be with her son's father Ezio Parlouzer, a leader and member of the Assassin Order, warriors who fight to protect everyone's freewill. That's one thing everybody doesn't know about, but what they do know is that Sonic is pretty much their hero. How he became a hero?

Well, it all started a couple years ago when he took on his arch-nemesis, Dr. Eggman, a mad-scientist who wanted to use cute little animals to create an army of robots to take over the planet, that is until Sonic defeated him. Ever since then, the two have been at each other's throats ever since, with all of them ending up with the blue hedgehog coming up on top. But Eggman wasn't the only one he had to battle to save the planet. He took on the mighty water god Chaos, stopped a space station from impacting the Earth, and helped repelled an invasion of evil aliens called the Black Arms from eradicating the human race. Of course, Sonic had help with his many adventures, so he doesn't take all the credit.

But now... things have been quiet since the Black Arms Invasion. Months it has been since then, and it's been... too quiet. He'd often kill time by helping other heroes deal with their own problems. Just recently, he got back from another galaxy helping two intergallactic heroes stop an investation of cuddly monsters from devouring planets. And now, he was back in New York City, helping out a certain Asian skateboarder, who can transform into the American Dragon, the protector of NYC. The hedgehog and dragon were placed in a awkward situation almost a year back when the former had a run in with the Huntsclan, ruthless warriors who want nothing but to wipe out the magical realm and take over the world and all that stuff. Since then, Sonic has been helping the dragon boy out when possible, such as helping him collect the mysterious Aztec Skulls, artifacts that will grant the holder one wish should all thirteen of them be brought together at the sacred place, wherever that is.

But for now, it was quiet... until the phone kept ringing. Giving a defeated grunt, Sonic reached for the phone and picked it up.

"Hello..." He said.

"Sonic?" a girl voice spoke. "Sonic, are you up?" The blue hedgehog's eyes widened open, knowing the voice.

"Sal...?" Sonic asked. "Uh... yeah, I'm up. Why?"

"Where are you?!" The girl's voice spoke. "The Press Conference is gonna start in about an hour! You were suppose to be here an hour ago!"

"What?" Sonic asked, looking to the clock next to him, seeing that it read 11:02AM... and the Conference starts at 12:00PM.

"Oh, Snap!" Sonic shouted as he quickly got up and rushed toward the bathroom, leaving the phone behind while he rushed into the shower, washing up so fast, then coming out and brushing his teeth, before coming back into the room.

"Sonic?" The girl spoke over the phone. "Sonic, are you there? Helloooo?" The blue blur rushed back to the phone and picked it up.

"Uh, yeah, I'm good..." Sonic said, only to realize that he still had some toothpaste in his mouth. He quickly took a spit into the sink before he continued. "I'm just... leaving the apartment now. Oh, forgot to wake up Tails."

"Yeah, he left without you." The girl spoke on the phone.

"Oh... where is he?" Sonic asked.

"He's at that contest, remember?" The girl spoke.

"Oh, right." Sonic said. "Don't worry, Sal, I'll be there as soon as I can, alright?"

"Ok... oh, and Sonic, we also need to have the talk." The girl, Sal, continued.

"Right, the talk... about what?" Sonic asked.

"The talk with my dad, regarding us." She spoke. Sonic halted in his tracks, freezing instantly as he heard that sentence.

"Ooohhh..." Sonic said, showing some concern on his face.

"...Sonic?" Sal asked. "Sonic?"

"Um... I'll be there soon..." Sonic said.

"Ok, love you!" Sal said.

"Love you too... bye." Sonic said as the call disconnected. He gave another heavy sigh.

"Oh boy... gotta talk to pops... great." Sonic said as he went to put some clothes.

Pretty soon, the blue hedgehog was outside on the rooftops, making his way toward the edge. He wore a red hooded vest with yellow strappings on it. Underneath was a black shirt with short sleeves, with a brown hankercheif around his neck. Gold rings with blue lining were around his wrists, while white gloves covered his hands. A pair of dark green pants covered his legs, and he wore his iconic custom-made grindable soap sneakers with white straps held down by a golden buckle on each foot, while the heels had a glowing green lining at the end.

The blue hedgehog was ready to rock and roll. But first, he put on a pair of headphones, and pulled out his MP3player. He needed good fast music to get into the mood for jogging.

"Ok... gotta go fast." Sonic spoke, clicking his mp3 player. The song played, with the vocal chorus from _Gangster's Paradise _by Coolio played. The blue hedgehog halted real quick.

"Whoops... wrong song." Sonic said as he went to the next track, _Green Light Ride_ by Crush40 which played a starting bass drum kick and a guitar playing softly, getting ready to get louder and faster.

"That's better..." Sonic said as he stretched a couple more times, and then made his way to the edge of the building. Turning himself around, he gave a fist pump.

"Let's Go!" Sonic said as he lept off the building, giving a couple of sommersaults before dropping his feet on the side and began running down as the song he listened began to kick up and rocked on.

With a mighty leap, he zipped onto the street and ran at the speed of sound. If you would try to see how fast Sonic was going, then all you could see would be a blur, because he was really, really, fast. He zipped, he jumped, he ran like he was running for his life, but with no worry, no concern, just feeling free as the wind. He passed a couple of cars, where the driver couldn't see who it was since he was going really fast. He jumped from building to building when he needed to, and surprisingly the boom he makes when he goes fast didn't break the windows or cause some property damage. And when Sonic was halfway to where he had to be, he spotted a runaway car with a couple of burglars with stolen cash. Being the hero, the blue blur rammed into the car like it was no tomorrow, hurtling it over it's side, trapping the burglars inside while the cops showed up to arrest them. Seeing his noble work done, the blue hedgehog kept going toward his destination.

Pretty soon, he came to a stop as he came to Madison Square Park. Surprisingly, he started to walk down the street toward the park, looking around, as if he was looking for someone. And he was. He was looking for a certain two tailed fox running about.

"I wonder where Tails is at?" Sonic thought to himself. Then a loud horn was blown in the background. Turning his head, he saw a crowd of people gathering, witnessing... something. Taking an interest, the blue hedgehog approached the group, making his way through.

"Excuse me... pardon me." He said as he slid by and through the crowd until he made it up front. He came to a halt to see what they were watching. Before him was a semi-consious civilian, with his tummy round and big, and his face was green.

"Can't eat another bite..." He said.

"What the what?" Sonc asked, lifting his head up, to see a girl fall down unconscious, also with a belly much bigger than the other guy. The blue hedgehog saw a table, where one guy was eating from a massive plate of hotdogs. On the other side was someone Sonic knew very well. It was an orange anthropomorphic fox cub with blue eyes, around the age between eleven and twelve. He wore a pair of pilot goggles on his head, right below his three bangs erupting from the middle of his head. While his fur was all orange, there was white four around his muzzle, front torso, and the tip of his tails. Yes, he has two slightly bushy tails instead of one. He wore a yellow vest with the lower half being dark blue. He wore a pair of lighter green pants around his waist and legs. White gloves were on his hands, andhe wore red shoes, with the front toe areas white. Miles Tails Prower was the fox's name, and Sonic's closest best friend. He's been by the hedgehog's side when the latter took the young cub in when he saved him from being bullied by a group of kids who were making fun of his tails. Since then the fox went with Sonic wherever he'd go, using his tails to increase his speed and speed up with the blue blur, who was more than merrier to have someone who can keep up with him. The fox also had a distinctive love for mechanics, usually finds himself most at home in his workshop working on his new gadgets and devices. Over the years spending time with Sonic, Tails became more self-confident and also very independent, which was shown a couple years ago when the fox thought his friend perished when he was hurtled out into space and the capsule he was in exploded, moving Tails to avenge his friend and defeat Dr. Eggman, while the blue blur stopped the mad doctor's laser from firing upon the planet. To this day, Tails is still the gentle-hearted, sweet-natured loyal fox with a positive attitude... and a big appetite to that. The fox was chowing down on the hot dogs that he grabbed from the plate, eating at a fast rate. Believe it or not, Tails has a bit of an eating disorder where he would get hungry often, and would eat whatever that catches his eyes, except for dead rabbit. And though Tails' face was thin, his stomach was showing a bit of chubbiness growing in, and as he ate, his tummy began to grow a teeny bit by bit. Everybody watching was amazed of how this young fox can put all that food down. Sonic only shook his head and smiled. The fox was eating so fast, he didn't bother noticing the guy competing in front of him passed out as he took one last hot dog from the plate. But Tails kept going. In fact, the two-tailed mammal took the plate and poured it over his mouth, gobbling up the last of the hot dogs, making his belly stick out that made him look like a mother pregnant with her child.

"WOOHOO!" Tails cheered out. "That's how you do it!" The crowd began to cheer as Tails stood up on top of the table.

"We have a winner!" The announcer said as he lifted Tails' hand up. "Give it up for Mil-"

"Tails." The fox hissed. The boy hated that name Miles so much.

"Sorry, Tails Prower!" The annoucer said, while the crowd of people began to cheer. Tails looked at the crowd with a smile, but then he saw Sonic. He gave a wave to his friend, as the blue blur gave a thumbs up.

* * *

"You know what's so interesting?" Sonic asked, as he and Tails walked down the sidewalk, with the two tailed fox carrying a big trophy.. "It's that you've eaten nearly a fifty hot dogs back there and yet you're still hungry."

"What can I say?" Tails asked, patting his belly. "I have a big appetite."

"You keep eating like that, and you'll look like Eggman." Sonic joked, causing Tails to blush and glare at the hedgehog.

"Hey, I'm Not Fat!" Tails said, who then took a deep breath, sucking in his gut to make his chest push outward to make him look skinny. "I'm just fluffy that's all!" Within a couple of seconds, Tails began to feel a bit of pain in his stomach. He could not hold in his gut any longer. He breathed out, causing his tummy to stick back out, and collapsed to the floor all dizzy.

"Right..." Sonic said with a smirk.

"Mr. Sonic!" a soft voice called out, getting his attention. He turned to see an young bunny rabbit who was no more than ten. Unlike most rabbits, her ears swiveled back and flopped behind her head, and they were a bit massive compared to a regular rabbit. She had cinnamon-brown eyes with princeton orange markings around them, and a tuff or orange hair was over her head. She wore a simple vermilion dress with puffy sleeves and a white collar with a blue cravat. She wore orange pants with yellow lining at the bottom, and her footwear consisted of orange and yellow shoes. It was Cream the Rabbit, the daughter of Vanilla Rabbit. Flying next to her was her little friend Cheese the Chao. A Chao is a small looking light blue creature with yellow coloring on it's toes, hands, and forehead, with a sphere floating above it's head. This one was wearing an orange bowtie on it's chest. It was a surprise to see them in the city when their usually with Cream's mother. Regardless, Sonic gave a smile.

"Oh, hey there, Cream. And Cheese." Sonic said as the rabbit approached him and Tails.

"It's very nice to see you again, Mr. Sonic." Cream said. "And you too, Tails!"

"Chao!" Cheese spoke, which was the only thing that the Chao species would say, other than some weird gibberish. Speaking of Tails, the fox lifted himself up on his feet and stretched.

"Hi, Cream." Tails said. "What brings you guys here to the Big City? Come to think of it, where's your mom?"

"Oh, mother's out doing some work." Cream said. "Amy and Mr. Knuckles agreed to look out for us while she was away, and they brought us with them here." Sonic's eyes widened a bit.

"Wait, Amy's here?" Sonic asked.

"Uh huh." Cream said. "We're here to witness the Peace signing too."

"HI SONIC!" the sound of a cheerful voice caused the blue hedgehog's ears to perk up. The three turned around to see two others like them, only this time there was a pink hedgehog and a red echidna approaching them, with the former running up. Knuckles, the red echidna with purple eyes, had some of his dreadlock spines in the back of his head tied up in a ponytail, He was wearing a grey sleeveless shirt with dark green camouflage cargo pants, and red and yellow shoes, with green cuffs and a sextuple-bolted plate on each top of the shoe. Next to him was Amy Rose, the pink hedgehog with azure green eyes, a long red dress with white lining, dark pink leggings and dark red boots with a white line on the front of each. Interestingly, Amy looked a little bit chubbier. Actually, she was chubbier than Tails. Yep, she kinda let herself go a bit. The pink hedgehog zoomed up and wrapped her arms around Sonic, giving a hug. Unfortunately, given with the little extra weight she put on recently, the blue hedgehog felt like he was being crushed.

"Hi... Amy... too tight..." Sonic spoke, though it was a little late from the sound of his back giving a teeny crack.

"Hey Amy!" Tails said. "You're looking great."

"You bet!" Amy said as she let Sonic go, making him fall on his back. "You're looking great too, Tails." The two-tailed fox gave a smile and blush, but Sonic however, gave a moan in pain, until he opened his eyes to see Knuckles looking down at him.

"Whaddup?" Knuckles said.

"Oh, hey Knuckles." Sonic said as the echidna helped him back up, and straightened him out. Sonic winced a bit as he back was back in place. But the pain was gone in a second as he came to his feet.

"Thanks." Sonic said.

"So, I take it you guys are here for the peace signing or something?" Knuckles asked.

"Yeah." Sonic said as he stretched. "Lemme guess, Amy convinced you to help baby-sit Cream or something?"

"Nah, I had nothing better to do, so I decided to help her out." Knuckles said. "Besides, I figured we'd get out and see the sights."

"See the sights? That's new coming from you." Sonic said a bit surprised. "Shouldn't you be guarding the Master Emerald or something?"

"I have my duties as the Guardian, but I'm not gonna let my sweet pink pea be all by herself." Knuckles said, embracing the pink hedgehog. "Besides, didn't you sent Eggman floating into outer space or something?"

"Yeah." Sonic said. "That was about a year ago. And there hasn't been any sign of him lately."

"Exactly." Knuckles said. "With Eggman gone, there isn't much need to guard the Master Emerald... for now, at least."

"Yep, and Knux has been by my side helping me out ever since." Amy said. "In the morning, at breakfest, in public, lunch, at Cream's place, afternoon, dinner, even in bed... and he's been soooooo good in bed." She was moving her hips a bit with her tail side by side as she moaned, nuzzling the echidna's arm. Sonic and Tails only looked with a bit of disgust.

"If they been good in bed, then I see why Amy's a bit... rounder in the lower body region." Sonic whispered.

"Sonic don't say that." Tails said. "She only put on a few poun-" Before he could say anymore, Sonic closed the fox's mouth.

"Tails, don't, or she'll whack you." Sonic said, not wanting Amy to be offended. Whenever someone brings up Amy's recent weight, she would lose her lid and whack that someone with her Piko Piko Hammer. Oh yes, forgot to mention that she has a hammer. A big hammer.

"Oh Sonic, there's no need." Amy said. "I don't really care if anyone mentions my weight. In fact, I love my new look." Hearing that brought more surprise to the blue hedgehog, especially Tails.

"W... Huh?" Sonic asked. "You like it? Ok, who are you and what did you do to the real Amy?"

"Oh, it's the real me, Sonikku Nicky Auditore Parlouzer." Amy said. "You see boys, I've learned to accept myself for who I am, not what I am. After all, a woman knows that all that truly matters is what's on the inside, not what size she is. Besides, now I can pig out on anything I want without having to worry about my weight. This extra padding has made me hard as a rock, as well as increasing my punching cannons. And, I got these bad boys right here!" She held up her breasts up a bit, making them jiggle slightly.

"No doubt these are way bigger than Miss Bat Lady's." Amy said. Seeing her cradling her chest, making her boobs bounce a bit, making Sonic cringe.

"You don't say..." Sonic said, while Tails stared blankly, blushed, and his nose started to bleed. He gave a sigh and fell backwards.

"Oh my goodness, Tails!" Cream said as she knelt down to the fox's side. "Are you ok? Do you need a tissue?"

"Yeah, I'm good..." Tails moaned, with Sonic rolling his eyes.

"OH!" Amy said. "I also have more news! Can we tell them, sweetie?"

"Sure." Knuckles said. "Don't see why not."

"Tell us what?" Sonic asked.

"Well... guess who's getting married!" Amy said as she extended her hand out. The blue hedgehog and two-tailed fox froze in place, seeing an accessory around Amy's ring finger. It was a ring... an engagement ring!

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!" Sonic and Tails asked surprised.

"Yep, we're getting married!" Amy said as she hugged Knuckles, who gave a warm and affectionate smile. Sonic was completely speechless, while Tails was excited.

"Really?!" Tails asked. "Congratulations! When's the big day?!"

"Well, we're still looking for a good date to have it." Amy said. "But we're not rushing it." Sonic was still dumbstruck. Amy, the girl who used to chase him down the street and into the face of dangers just to win his heart, was actually marrying his friend/rival? The blue hedgehog shook his head and gave a fake smile.

"That's great to hear!" Sonic said with a thumbs up.

"I know, I already picked out the wedding dress in my current size." Amy said. "I can't wait until you guys see me wear it... Oh, I can't wait anymore!" the pink hedgehog pulled up her phone. "I'm gonna show you the dress now!" After sliding through a couple of pictues, Amy finally showed the photo of her wedding dress, which was white with pink ribbons and straps all over it.

"Wow, it looks lovely." Tails said, as Sonic only gave a shrug and looked away, much to Amy's notice.

"Sonic, don't you wanna see my dress?" Amy asked.

"Nah... not really." Sonic said. "I'm just gonna wait to see it on your big day." The pink hedgehog tilted her head.

"Sonic, are you ok?" She asked, but she noticed that the blue hedgehog's cheeks had some red in them. "Are you... jealous?"

"What?" Sonic asked, his face showing a bit of red. "No, of course not!"

"Oh yeah, he's jealous alright." Knuckles said.

"Dude, shut up please." Sonic said as he rolled his eyes.

"Hey you're the one who left her when she needed some comforting." Knuckles said, making Sonic's face red.

"Well, I'm not the one who stupidly got the Master Emerald stolen from right under your nose 50 times." Sonic said. Hearing that caused the echidna to flinch.

"What did you say?!" Knuckles asked, his ears began to let out steam and his face turned red.

"Now sweety, remember your happy place." Amy said as she nuzzled Knuckles's cheek. Normally the Echidna would flip if someone tried to calm him, but instead, he actually calming down, and his anger quickly diminished. Besides, this is Amy, and she knows how to calm him down.

"Wow... I had no idea the Guardian of the Master Emerald could be tamed by a girl." Sonic said.

"Don't worry Knux, Sonic's just jealous because you're my special someone now." Amy said.

"Yeah, jealous Sonic?" Knuckles asked.

"I'm Not Jealous!" Sonic said, though a tint of red could be shown on the blue hedgehog's cheeks.

"Well, we better get going." Amy said. "There's a new store that opened up down the street and we're gonna check it out. See you guys later!" The pink hedgehog, taking the red echidna with her, headed down the street to where they're going.

"See you guys soon!" Cream called back as she and Cheese followed Amy and Knuckles.

"You too!" Tails responded with a happy wave. Sonic only looked on with a frown, much to the fox's notice.

"What's wrong, Sonic?" Tails asked.

"Nothing." Sonic said.

"Are you really jealous?" Tails asked.

"No way!" Sonic said, but then he let out a defeated sigh. "Who am I kidding? I guess there's no fooling anyone." To be honest, he did feel jealous, only because Amy used to give all her attention to Sonic back in the day. Long ago, Amy had a gigantic crush on Sonic, and would always chase him to the ends of the earth, swearing that he would be her's and would marry him one day, a future told by her Tarot Cards, cards that can predict the future. However, before he left to see the world, he did his best to break it to her slowly that he only saw her as a friend, not in a romantic way. She tried to take it well, but soon after he and Tails left to explore the world, she broke down into tears, destroying her tarot cards in the process. She began to feel emptyness, which brought Knuckles' attention. The echidna, much to his bargain, took it upon himself to help her through it, but overtime, their friendship slowly blossomed into a romantic relationship. To be honest, it was actually a wake-up call for Amy. At that point she realized she was only wasting her life trying to go after Sonic. Since then she has became a more independent woman. Over the next couple of years, she and Knuckles spent more time together, whether it was helping Amy shop, going to the movies, watching funny videos while guarding the Master Emerald. Now they were engaged... The blue hedgehog was starting to see how much has changed since he left.

When Sonic found out about their relationship, he was quite shocked at first, but he was happy for them, giving his full support. But at the same time, he did feel a bit guilty for breaking Amy's heart in a way he didn't expect, and there is a bit of jealousy too, since Amy's giving her attention to Knuckles instead of him.

"Back then Amy used to give her attention to me, but now she's giving it to Knuckles." Sonic said. "And besides, I feel bad for making Amy feel like I didn't really care about her."

"There's no shame feeling that way Sonic." Tails said. "It's just a way to show that you do care about her, in a friendly way. And besides, she's more independent now because of that."

"I suppose." Sonic said.

"And besides." Tails continued. "You're back together with Aunt Sa-" Before he finished, Sonic quickly covered the fox's mouth quickly, preventing him from speaking anymore.

"Dude, please, keep it quiet." He whispered.

"Why?" Tails asked.

"It's a long story." Sonic said. "I want to keep it low profile, alright?"

"Um... ok." Tails said, a bit surprised. "Anyway, c'mon, lets get to the conference. And if it makes you feel better, I'm sneaking in a couple of Chili-Dogs in if you want them." He unzipped his vest and showed a bag of fresh chili-dogs strapped in the inside. Sonic was a bit surprised how the fox was able to pull that off. Back in the day, Sonic loved Chili-Dogs, but within the recent years that has passed, the hedgehog's appetite for them isn't that strong as it used to be. Probably because he was getting older.

"Thanks Tails, but I'm not hungry for them." Sonic said.

"Alright, more for me I guess." Tails said. But then his stomach began to growl, begging for food.

"Wow, I'm hungry already!" Tails said. "Well, might as well." With that said, Tails took the chili-dogs out of the bag, threw them up in the air, and opened his mouth wide, catching them all at once. After a couple chews, Tails gulped it all down, causing his tummy to bloat out as if he too was really pregnant.

"Ahhhh... that hit the spot." He said, rubbing his bloated belly.

"Ha." Sonic laughed. "Told ya you get hungry after a while."

"Told you, big appetite!" Tails said, suddenly letting out a big burp. "Excuse me." The duo then looked forward, seeing a long line of people going into the chapel.

"Great, now there's a line." Sonic said.

"Not for long." Tails said. "Watch this..." He cleared his voice and walked toward the line.

"Excuse me!" Tails said. "Pregnant Fox coming through please!" The line looked at the two-tailed fox and were confused. But seeing the little guy's belly was actually enough to convince them to believe he truly was. They all stepped back, as Sonic watched with amazement.

"Huh... Neat." Sonic said as he followed the two tailed fox inside. The hedgehog however was completely unaware of the teen with the jet black spikey hair , red scarf, and sunglasses following him.

* * *

Inside the conference building before people started to head inside, there was some decorating going on before the main event. Surprisingly, the decorating crew were none other than a special task team known as the PAW Patrol, a team of rescue dogs who go out and save people who are in danger, as well as keeping the city safe. It's like a SWAT Team, but it's consisted of only dogs... or pups, ranging from 12 to 14 in dog years. Each pup had their own specific job, such as police, firefighter, construction, sea, recycling, and flyer, and Chase, who is a recent member of the SPD, is part of this team. Normally they're stationed at Adventure Bay, which was a bit more north near Canada. But they were asked by the United Federations to participate in the ceremony, helping with the decorations, as well as acting as additional security. It's a pretty big deal, especially for a team of pups.

The PAW Patrol is led by Ryder, a young but intelligent 14 year-old boy. He's very recognizable with his gelled up dark brown hair and brown eyes. His attire consisted a vest with red at the bottom, white at the top, and a blue collar. He also wore blue jeans and has blue and white shoes. While he was a bit young, he's very calm and collected, having a very mature, friendly, and patient personality.

"Alright pups, is everything almost ready for the ceremony?" Ryder asked as he came into the room.

"Almost, Ryder!" a voice called from inside the room. There were four other pups working on the decorations for the ceremony before the doors opened up. They were members of the PAW Patrol.

Rubble was the English Bulldog with lighter brown fur with a white underbelly that also covers most of his muzzle with white fur. He has bright brown eyes and a tiny tail that can barely be seen. His pup-tag had the shape of a wrench symbol on it. His gear is yellow that includes a hardhat, which is used for safety in the construction business. Speaking of which, he is the Construction Pup of the group, where his job to rebuilding things with his shovel and rig, such as train tracks, props, roads, and of course buildings.

He may look tough, he gets emotional and is very soft towards everyone around him. He loves to take baths, and he has a big appetite too. Just don't get him near any spiders, because he does not like spiders.

Rocky is the mixed breed pup, completely gray with white paws, and a white tip on his tale as well as white tips on the fur tuffs around his head and cheeks. He also had a dark gray circle around his left eye and two circles on his back. Other than his orangish-brown eyes and black nose, he had a floppy right ear and a nick on his left one. His entire attire was green, along with his backpack that contained his tools and claw, and so was his cap and pup-tag, which the latter had a recycle symbol on it, and the PAW Patrol symbol on his hat. His job was being a Recycling Pup, where he would clean up trash, recycle anything recyclable, and of course, fix things with his tools.

Very clever and resourceful, Rocky can re-use anything that is recyclable from the ground or from his recycle truck, and remakes it into anything like a sail, a box, or even a helicopter. You know what they say, Don't Lose It, Reuse It! Despite being the clever one, he has a strong fear of water, and does not like getting wet.

Zuma was the chocolate colored Labrador retriever pup, given his brown fur, floppy ears, and greenish-yellow eyes. The collar around his neck was dark blue, and his orange tag had a silver anchor symbol to represent the sea. After all, he is the Aquatic Rescue Pup, where he rescues people out in the ocean, even sea-creatures underwater with his hovercraft, which can turn into a submarine! Pretty much sums it up with his orange water helmet and his scuba gear on his back.

He's very laid-back and calm, but he is loyal and has an abundant liking for his friends, especially Ryder. He loves to surf on the waves, even swim on a hot summer day. He can be unusually very competitive during games and races, including with Skye.

And Skye, she is a female cockapoo and one of the few female members of the Paw Patrol. Her shaggy ears, tail, the fluff o her forehead and the circles around her eyes are a golden-brownish color, while her eyes were magenta. Her legs, snout and tummy is colored a tannish cream color and the rest of her body was golden-brown. Her nose was also brown along with her eyebrows. She has three small eyelashes around each eye, just as every other girl She wore a pink vest and her white color and pup-tag had a propeller symbol on it.

Despite being the smallest, this puppy sure can fly, thanks to the jetpack she wears on her back, accompanied with the pilot goggles and hat. She is the Flying Pup of the group, using her helicopter for air rescues, such as carrying people out of ditches or holes, or to help guide air vehicles to safety. She is fun-loving and is very brave and smart. But she does not like Eagles, due to a traumatic encounter with a family of eagles when she was very young.

The four pups were getting everything ready for the signing ceremony, and from the looks of the room all nice and fancy, they were doing such a great job. They are great pups, after all.

"Wow, this place is shaping up to be pretty nice." Skye said.

"Yeah, if only Chase was here to see this." Rocky said. "He would be proud."

"Say... where is Chase, anyway?" Rubble asked, looking around in the room. "He's gonna miss the event."

"He's out helping the SPD." Ryder said.

"The SPD?" Skye asked.

"Yep." Rocky said. "The Space Police Delta."

"Space Police Delta?" Rubble asked. "Aren't those guys the protectors of the multiverse or something?"

"They sure are." Ryder said. "He recently became one of their newest members, and he's out in the mid-east doing some investigation work."

"Investigation?" Zuma asked. "Totally Whadical!" Rubble then glanced at the labrador with a confused look. Zuma has a little speech impediment known as rhotacism, where he'd have trouble pronouncing the R, and says it with a W sound instead. Rubble could've sworn the surf pup grew out of it. But the bulldog's confused expression caught Zuma's attention.

"What?" He asked.

"Uh... eh... nothing..." Rubble said.

"I just hope he's alright." Rocky said.

"Don't worry, he'll be ok." Skye said. "He's Chase. He knows what he's doing."

"You'we not worwied about your boyfwiend?" Zuma asked.

"No, of course not, and no, he's not my boyfriend." Skye said sternly. But as she turned away, she couldn't help but blush and smile, thinking about Chase. He's probably out there right now, fighting monsters and protecting the planet. Won't lie, she had always liked Chase after she spotted him snuggling with a stuffed toy while he was saying her name. Most girls would find that awkward and disturbing, but Skye actually found it cute... and heartwarming. So yeah, she liked him. A lot.

"Though I have to admit." She continued. "He looks soooo good with his new suit. Chasing bad guys, doing police work, and moving traffic." The blush marks grew as she imagined Chase in his combat gear. To be honest, she actually blissfully swooned when she first saw him in his combat suit.

"Yep, she's daydweaming about him again." Zuma said.

"She's probably thinking about Chase's schwanzstucker..." Rubble whispered to Rocky.

"What's that?" Rocky asked. Rubble then leaned in and whispered into Rocky's ear, making his eyes widen a bit.

"Woof... ew..." Rocky said.

"Oh my, how astonishing." The feminine voice spoke as a woman came into the room. The woman was dark brown skin, and so were her eyes and hair, with a little beauty spot on her face. Her attire consisted of a turquoise blazer, a pink shirt with a dark blue skirt, and red high heel shoes. Her accessories were gold earrings and a red colored purse. Inside the purse was a chicken. Yes, a real chicken named Chickalettla, which was snoozing away.

The lady was Mayor Goodway, the mayor of Adventure Bay, the descendent of Grover Goodway, the founder of Adventure Bay. This was a bit surprising since she should be back in town being the mayor. But she sure didn't want to pass up the greatest event in all of history here in New York.

"This place is so beautiful, and you pups made it even more beautiful." The Mayor said.

"Thank you, Mayor Goodway." Rubble said. "Say, how come you're here and not in Adventure Bay?"

"Well I may be a mayor, but I sure don't want to miss the signing ceremony either." Mayor Goodway said. "Plus, Nigel is such a good friend, I didn't want to leave him hanging."

"Nigel?" Rocky asked.

"I think that's King Acorn's name." Skye said.

"Wow, usually I thought a king's fiwst name was just king." Zuma said.

"Well, even kings have first names." Ryder said.

"Isn't this exciting?" Mayor Goodway asked. "The most magnificent moment in all of history, where the humans and anthropians can live together in peace and harmony! And the best part is, I get to introduce the King and the President!" Unable to keep her excitement, Mayor Goodway couldn't help but squeal, while Chickaletta just napped away in the mayor's purse.

"Sounds like someone's a bit over excited." Rubble said while Ryder gave a chuckle.

"Doesn't she mean furries?" Skye asked.

"Actually, the correct term is Anthropians." Rocky said. "At least I think it is." Pretty soon, the clock was a bit past 11:30 AM, meaning that it was time to open the doors to let people in.

"Ok pups, it's time." Ryder said, while Marshall gave a slight gulp. Pretty soon, the doors began to open up, allowing people to come inside. All of them were lining up to get into their seats, while some already went in to their assigned seats. The pups looked around, seeing so many people.

"Wow, there are a lot of people here." Rubble said.

"Yeah, I can't keep track of how many there are." Skye said, while Rocky looked around and spotted a familiar blue hedgehog and two tailed fox coming inside the room.

"Hey, there's Sonic!" Rocky said. "Hey Sonic!" The voice caught the blue hedgehog's attention, along with Tails.

"Oh, hey guys." Sonic said.

"Hi Ryder!" Tails said as the two walked up to the group. "Good to see you guys."

"Good to see you too." Ryder said. "You guys here for the Ceremony?"

"Yep." Tails said. It's gonna be a big day. You guys look like you've been busy."

"That's because we've spent all morning getting everything ready." Skye said. "We just got done with the decorations for the ceremony."

"Yep, and it's gonna be the bomb." Rubble said. "You know, awesome." The group laughed at Rubble's remark, until Sonic then noticed that there was a pup missing from the group. Actually, two pups were missing.

"That's odd, I thought Marshall and Chase would be here." Sonic said.

"Say, where's Chase?" Tails asked.

"He's off on a secret special assignment." Ryder said. "So unfortunately he's gonna have to miss the ceremony."

"Aw, I bet Sally's a bit disappointed too." Tails said. "She really loves that pup."

"But what about Marshall?" Sonic asked.

"He's in the bathroom, I think." Ryder said. "Come to think of it, I haven't seen him until an hour ago."

"He probably had some bad dog food last night." Rubble said.

"Or maybe he's a bit nervous since Chase put him in charge." Skye said.

"He looked pretty nervous to me when I saw him earlier." Rocky said. "He looked just as nervous before he took Everest on a walk in Adventure Bay, and we all know he's had a thing for her since last Christmas." Sonic rolled his eyes.

"Don't worry, I'll go talk to him." Sonic said.

"But he could be anywhere." Tails said.

"Don't worry, it's me." Sonic said as he quickly zipped down the hall, this time his speed not making the room shake.

"Wow, he didn't even blow the carpet away." Skye said.

* * *

"You got this... You got this..."

Those were the only words he kept telling himself, the small white Dalmatian pup with bright blue eyes and puffs of smokes for spots was staring right at himself in the mirror. The little 2 year-old dog, 14 in dog years, was telling himself the same three words over and over.

This was Marshall, the Firepup or firefighter of the PAW Patrol, as shown by the fire sigil on his pup tag. While on duty, he's normally seen with his red vest, and a fire fighter hat. Other than firefighting, he is also the team's medic. He is pretty much the class clown of the group, and tends to behave silly and clumsy. Despite that, he is excitable, loyal, and the bravest member of the PAW Patrol. Even the birds like him so much.

He was trying to boost his confidence today, and it wasn't just because of the signing ceremony today. Because with Chase not being here, Marshall is left in charge as the second in command. Sure Ryder was still here and he is the leader of the PAW Patrol, but Chase also gives orders to the pups when Ryder is usually busy. And Chase has named Marshall as the temporary second in command. Plus, with him being the clumsy, Marshall had to get his head in the game. That's why he was staring at himself in the mirror... in the bathroom.

"I got this... eye of the tiger." Marshall said in front of the mirror. "I got this." Yes, he's got this, he thought. He was only gonna be with the pups, and give them orders when they need to do something. It's not like he's gonna be on stage giving a speech. Wait. He was gonna be on stage with the other pups... watched by many many people attending.

Suddenly, he heard some noise outside the bathroom. It sounded like people. He looked at the clock, seeing that it was almost 12:00 PM, which meant people were coming inside and the signing was about to begin. He looked at himself in the mirror, and his face began to shrivel with worry. The poor pup's stage fright was coming back to bite him.

"Awww dammit..." He cursed, then his cheeks began to puff up repeatedly. He could feel his stomach churning and something was coming up, wanting out. He rushed over to the stalls and opened the door to the toilets. Inside the stall, he opened his mouth, and the contents came out of his mouth, and he threw up into the toilet. What felt like minutes, Marshall only moaned in pure horror. He then rushed out of the stall and out of the bathroom. He then made his way to a nearby door and went into the room. He couldn't help but panic and whimper inside the dark.

_-KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK-_

"GAH!" The dalmation pup, Marshall, yelped as he jumped off the ground backwards and into the desk behind him. "I'm ok..."

"Marshall, are you in there?" a voice asked from the other side of the door. The pup's ears lifted up, for her knew that voice.

"Sonic?" Marshall asked. "Sonic is that you?!"

"Yeah, it's me." Sonic's voice said. "You in there?"

"Yeah, I'm in here!" Marshall said, with the door opening up, revealing Sonic himself.

"Hey Marsh." Sonic said.

"Sonic!" Marshall said as he leaped up onto Sonic, almost knocking him to the ground and licking his face. Despite that, Sonic only smiled and chuckled as the pup licked him all over his cheeks.

"Good to see you too, Marsh." Sonic said. The Dalmatian pup was so thrilled to see Sonic. Actually, he's always thrilled to see Sonic. A while back, almost seven months ago, Marshall was hitting some pretty hard times, thinking that he was always bringing bad luck and messing up all the time, leading him to run away to spare everyone of his terrible clumsiness. Eventually he was caught in a terrible storm and nearly drowned after falling into a river and down the waterfall. Sonic, who heard that his own dog, Sparky, passed away, found the Dalmatian pup on the side of the river unconscious and hurt. He ended up taking him in and looked after him until he was well enough, and the two became quick friends during that time. Eventually, the PAW Patrol were on a big wide search for him, and they eventually found him after he helped Sonic rescue a young girl trapped inside a collapsing cave. Marshall was reunited with the PAW Patrol with open arms, and since then, Sonic would visit Adventure Bay often to see his little Dalmatian friend. Yep, they were good friends alright.

"How you doing Marsh?" Sonic asked as he petted the pup's head.

"Doing great." Marshall answered. "Actually, I'm doing more great now that you're here. You came to see the signing ceremony?"

"Yeah, Sal talked me into going." Sonic said. "Say, what are you doing in here?"

"Oh... well, I was actually in the bathroom..." Marshall said.

"Why?" Sonic asked.

"To try and get my game face on." Marshall said. "You know, boost my confidence."

"Boost your confidence?" Sonic asked.

"Yeah." Marshall said. "It's because... well..." The pup only lowered his head.

"Marsh, it's ok, you can tell me." Sonic said.

"It's just that... well, I'm sure you know, Chase isn't here, right?" Marshall said.

"Yeah, Ryder did say he was out and won't be back today." Sonic said. "But what does that got anything to do with this?"

"You see, Chase put me in charge as Second-In-Command of the PAW Patrol while he's away, and I was kinda hoping that he would be back soon." Marshall said. "Because... I feel pretty anxious."

"Anxious?" Sonic asked. "You're anxious because you have an opportunity to be a team leader?"

"That's exactly it! Marshall asked. "That's the point! Chase trusted me to make sure the team does what they need to do! But you know how clumsy I am. I'm scared that I might get this all wrong, or crash into something and screw everything up! The firepup only lowered his head down. Within him being clumsy, he was very accident prone, usually crashing into things around him. But not only that, with Chase being the second-in-command of the Paw Patrol, Marshall is right behind him as the third-in-command. Usually on big events like this, Chase would help instruct the pups on what they need to do. But since he's not here, all eyes fell on Marshall, who was without a doubt happily honored, but extremely nervous when Chase asked him to look after the team while he was away. Marshall was not the kind of pup to take charge, most likely because he liked following orders instead of giving them.

"I know Chase asked me to look after the pups, but I'm worried that I might not get this right." Marshall said. "What if I give the wrong orders to the wrong pups? Or worse, what if I get clumsy again and set the building on fire?!" Sonic couldn't help but chuckle at Marshall being all worried, but never less, he gave him a nice scratch on the head and ear.

"Don't worry, Marsh." He said. "I understand that you feel a bit overwhelmed with this responsibility, but you can do this. I know you can. After all, you did lead the pups to victory by taking out the movie monster robot, remember?" The pup started to think, and he remembered. The time when they were helping movie producers film a movie in Adventure Bay, and their movie monster robot started to run amok and burn everything in it's path. Marshall was able to lead the pups and take out fires, as well as stopping the robot. He did a really good job at that.

"Yeah, I suppose I did." Marshall said. "But this is like a _real_ thing, and with Chase absent, I can't help but worry."

"Also, you know that Ryder is the Team Leader, right?" Sonic asked.

"Yeah..." Marshall said, but then the Dalmatian pup quickly caught on what Sonic was telling him. Ryder is the leader of the PAW Patrol, and Chase was the second in command. Chase may not be here, but Ryder still is. So if Marshall needs help, Ryder can help him out!

"Oh, now I get it." Marshall said. "I guess I let myself get overworked for nothing, huh."

"Yep, but most of the pressure's off now." Sonic said. "Just remember, nobody's expecting too much from you Marsh. Just lead the team your own way. You're gonna do great at this."

"Thanks." Marshall said. "As a Safety Expert Firepup / Third-in-Command Leader, I need to make sure everything's in order, and really safe."

"Welp, you're doing a good job at it." Sonic said as he knelt down and scratched the pup behind the ear, making the dalmatian slip into a state of bliss. Any dog does that when rubbed, scratched, or even stroked in the right place.

Pretty soon, the blue hedgehog looked around in the room, seeing that it was dark. He got back up and flicked the light on, revealing the room as what appears to be a storage room of some sorts, and it had some fancy objects inside.

"Huh, for a storage room, this place has a lot of fancy stuff in here." Sonic said, with the firepup looking around himself.

"Actually, I don't think this is a storage room." Marshall said. Sonic kept turning his head until he glanced over to his left and saw something that caught his eye. On the very end of the room was a pedestal, holding what appears to be some crystal skull in place. Surprisingly, the skull had blue colored gemstones for eyes. Sonic couldn't help but stare at it. That skull looked just like those skulls that Jake and his friends were looking for, the ones that the Huntsclan desperately need to conquer the world.

_Tertia autem ad locum, tenens in manu datur..._

The blue hedgehog gasped as he saw the skull, and heard those Latin words in his head. No way, he thought. Was this one of the skull gems? He couldn't help but move a bit closer to the pedestal.

"Sonic?" Marshall asked, getting his attention.

"Huh?" Sonic asked.

"You alright?" Marshall asked. The blue hedgehog glanced back at the pedestal and the crystal skull.

"Yeah... I think so." Sonic said.

"Hey, stranger." A voice spoke. Turning his head back to the open doorway, the blue hedgehog saw someone he knew pretty well. Emerging from the side of the hall was a light brown chipmunk, with a tan underbelly and her fur cheeks the same color. Her eyes were blue, she had long beautiful dark auburn hair that connected to a stripe going down her back and ending on her tail. She was in a lovely light purple dress, and her ponytail was braided. On top of her forehead was a tiara covered by her bangs.

She was Princess Sally Acorn, daughter of King Nigel Acorn of the Kingdom of Acorn, leader of the Kingdom's Freedom Fighters.

Sonic and Sally have a very interesting relationship. They were childhood friends growing up, which later blossomed into a romance. When the blue blur was around ten, he encountered her near the river lake seeing if the mythical secrets of the lake were true. Since then the two have become close friends. But one day, an evil wizard known as Naugus overthrew her father and took over the kingdom. Sally formed together a group of rebels known as the Freedom Fighters, who fight to protect the world and reclaim their stolen home. It took about four years of work, but Naugus was destroyed and Sally's father returned as ruler of the Kingdom. After that day, Sonic and Sally decided to pursue a romantic relationship.

No joking, they were actually engaged once, but there was one problem. Sally was going to be acting ruler while her father was away, and she wanted Sonic to rule by her side. However, the blue blur, despite having a royal lineage from his mom's side, didn't want to rule a kingdom, knowing that it's a huge responsibility. This caused the two to get into a massive argument in which Sally broke up with him, which placed a terrible strain on her relationship with the blue blur, and her father. Since that day, Sonic left home to travel the world with Tails. But after two years, a lot of stuff happened and all that... it's complicated.

Sonic was taken back by her dress.

"Wow... you look beautiful." Sonic said.

"Really?" Sally asked. "I feel ridiculous." Hearing that made the blue hedgehog chuckle quietly.

"Well, I think you look amazing." Sonic said, making the chipmunk smile and blush, making her look away. Marshall was watching the two with a smile. But then he realized that he was in their space a bit.

"Oh!" Marshall spoke. "Um, I'll just... go check on the others. Bye!" With that, the pup zipped out of the hall and to rejoin the pups. A crashing sound was heard at the end of the hall, signifying that Marshall probably tripped or crashed into something. "I'm good..." The blue hedgehog couldn't help but roll his eyes with a smile, while the princess gave a chuckle.

"So, you here for the conference too?" Sonic asked.

"Yeah." Sally said. "My father is speaking at the conference today. He's working on making peace with the United Federations. They arranged all this and made sure to take whatever pre-caution incase there's any problem."

"Pretty cool." Sonic said. "You speaking at the conference too?"

"Yep." Sally said. "I still can't believe that we actually managed to make it this far in negotiating peace."

"Well, who's to thank for that?" Sonic asked.

"You?" Sally asked.

"Who else?" Sonic asked.

"Always taking the credit, aren't ya." Sally said.

"Well, I did save them from a massive water god, and the entire planet from a space station and an alien invasion." Sonic said.

"True, but you did have help, and Tails is the star witness of that." Sally said.

"Touché." The blue hedgehog replied as the two gave another chuckle.

"So..." Sally said.

"So what?" Sonic asked.

"So, are we gonna tell him?" Sally asked.

"Tell who?" Sonic asked.

"My father." Sally said.

"Oh... tell him what?" Sonic asked, with the chipmunk giving a sigh.

"Sonic, we're gonna tell him... about us." Sally said. The blue hedgehog froze.

"Huh?!" Sonic asked. "Right Now?!"

"No, not now, but after the ceremony is over." Sally said.

"It would be easier to tell him if he was drunk." Sonic said.

"Sonic!" Sally said. "He's not like that at all."

"Then how'd you explain him going all out at the Victory Party a few years ago?" Sonic asked. "Maybe if I ask Mayor Goodway to put in a good word for us."

"Sonic, we can't keep this from him forever, you know." Sally said. The blue hedgehog only gave a defeated sigh.

"I'm sorry, Sal." Sonic said. "It's just, I really want to tell your dad that we're back together. But you and I ended things badly between us two years ago, and he's probably still a bit upset about the whole ordeal. I mean, you saw how angry he got at us, especially towards you. I don't him to give you a lecture and all that-" Before he could finish, he glanced right back at her, and noticed something. She was looking away, staring blankly at the floor. She had this look on her face, like she was trapped in a daze.

"Sal, are you alright?" Sonic asked, only to hear some strange breathing coming from her, like she was hyperventilating, and her face seemed to look a bit pale, like she was terrified.

"Uh oh..." Sonic said, knowing what was happening. "Sal?" He placed his hand on her shoulder, then suddenly she jumped, like something scared the life out of her. She panted, and looked around, only to see Sonic, showing a face of concern.

"You alright?" He asked.

"Yes." She spoke, still hyperventilating. "I'm... I'm fine..."

"Are you?" Sonic asked.

"Just... horrorflashes, that's all." Sally said. "For a second, I thought I saw... I saw..." Before she could continue, the blue hedgehog wrapped her arms around her, giving her a hug.

"It's alright." He said. "Just breathe in and out slowly, ok?" Feeling his body close to her allowed her breathing to slow down, feeling safe in his arms. She returned the hug, and nuzzled. There's a reason why she had a jumpy moment there.

During the Black Arms Invasion, before they got back together, Sally was placed in a very traumatic experience. The day the Black Comet was passing the planet was the day the Black Arms, evil aliens that wanted to take over the planet to harvest it's natural resources, invaded Earth. The aliens launched an attack on the Kingdom of Acorn, and Sally valiantly lead her people against them, but the aliens overpowered them and they kidnapped her in the process. During her three day captivity, she was tortured both physically and mentally, beyond what anyone could imagine. Luckily she was saved by Sonic, who she hasn't seen in two years around that time. And eventually the Black Comet was destroyed, along with the black arms.

But a month later, while the kingdom quickly recovered from the ordeal, Sally hasn't. She became paranoid, thinking that some of the civilians, even her own father were black arms in disguise. She began to suffer panic attacks, hallucinations, lack of sleep, and suffered a tremendous mental breakdown from the pressure of the nightmares and her duties of ruling the kingdom. Unable to cope with it, she attempted to commit suicide. Sonic, who heard of her breakdown from her friends, found her with her wrists cut, and almost unconcious. That was actually the first time Sonic has ever been terrified. He took her to the hospital where she was sedated and her wounds were stitched up. But upon waking up, she attacked him, but snapped out of it when she heard his pleas to stop. At that moment, for the first time in her life, she was completely broken.

Seeing a psychiatrist, she was diagnosed with PTSD, which was short for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, caused by her torture from the black arms. Realizing that she needed help, she decided to step down from ruling the kingdom, and moved in with Sonic and her old friends who decided to live in the human town of Adventure Bay, where she realized that she still loved Sonic. During their talk, there was a lot of shouting, crying, and lots of emotions, but the two eventually made up and their love was rekindled to a much stronger point.

Over the next few months, she recovered and improved greatly. But the effects of PTSD still lingered. Instead of paranoia and hallucinations, she would get nightmares, and some minor flashbacks once and a while. Short and quick they were, and not as bad as they used to be, but it was enough to get her frightened. But the blue blur's embrace helped her breathe normally again and feel safe.

"I'm sorry." She said.

"Don't be." Sonic said. "It's ok. I may not know what you're going through, but I understand, and I'm always here for you. Just never forget that." Hearing that made the chipmunk look right at him with a smile, and hugged him even tighter.

"Sorry, I guess I just miss you so much." Sally said.

"So you did miss me after those two years?" Sonic asked.

"Sonic..." Sally said, getting annoyed by his response.

"Hey, it's alright." Sonic said. "Cuz I missed you too." The chipmunk couldn't help but smile and she still clung to him still. The two didn't want to let go, in fact they wanted more. Without hesitating, the two leaned in and kissed passionately, holding each other in embrace.

"Sally?"

The voice quickly got their attention, both of their expressions showed that they knew who it was.

"Daddy..!" The two spoke out loud.

"Hide!" Sally spoke, pushing Sonic into the room he originally thought was the storage room next to them.

"Sally, dear? the voice asked while the chipmunk closed the door and brushed her hair back, just as her father, King Nigel Acorn emerged from the end of the hall. The king, unlike his daughter, was actually an anthropomorphic squirrel and he had no cheek hair like she did. But like Sally, he shares the general coloration as her, such as the two tones of brown for his fur and the auburn hair and eyebrows. He had a short and smooth mustache and likewise flat hair, while possessing a large and rounded bushy tail. His uniform was blue, trimmed with red at the collar, sleeves, and bottom, with a red belt wit an acorn-shaped buckle and gold epaulets. He wore blue boots with buckles at the front part of each foot with red cuffs at the top. At his side was a sword in a brown hilt, though the hilt seemed to be silver blue.

"Hi daddy." Sally said, giving a big smile.

"Oh, there you are." He said. "I was just looking for you. Are you ready?"

"Yes, I just got back from the bathroom." Sally said. Luckily, and technically that part was not a lie because she did come from the bathroom before arriving her. Though her smile showed something was off.

"Are you ok, dear?" King Acorn asked.

"Oh, uh... Just a little nervous, father." Sally said, making her way towards him and helped him down the hall. "But don't worry about me, we got a ceremony to do."

"Oh, ok." He said as the two walked away until they disappeared down the hall. Emerging from the room was Sonic, who felt a bit dizzy after being thrown back into the room. But he couldn't blame her, since she didn't want to be seen with him by her father yet. But they're gonna have to tell him eventually. The blue hedgehog brushed himself off and went out the room, but not before looking back inside to see the Skull on the pedestal. That definitely has to be one of the Skull Gems. Unfortunately, it wasn't a good time to retrieve it. If it was in here with these other fancy objects, then the building owners must've placed it in here so no one would steal it. He would have to let Jake know after the ceremony, and return later tonight to collect it. He departed from the room, turned the lights off and closed the door, unaware the skull was giving a fainted glow.

* * *

Today is indeed a big day for everyone. At long last, the Peace Treaty between the United Federations and the Kingdom of Acorn is about to begin. A lot of people were attending, including some government officials, senators, even civilians, and it wasn't just humans, but also anthropians as well. This was a very big moment in history. With it being this big, this could be a music concert... or a festival is there was at least more than 5,000 people here in attendance. Luckily it was a bit small.

Up on the Platform, were the speakers of the ceremony. President Gordon was on the right side, while King Acorn and Sally were on the right. The King's men were on the right side while the security were on the left, and the PAW Patrol were in the middle, all of them in position to make sure nothing bad happens. Security was increased slightly to ensure no one harms the President and / or the King.

Of course, the first to speak was President Gordon, who said the usual saying how even in tough times, they'll stand united to protect not only the nation, but also each other. The next to speak was the King, who spoke similar and how wonderful this was for both the Kingdom and the United Federations put their differences aside to become friends. Next was Mayor Goodway, who was very, very excited to speak. She couldn't stop saying how honored she was about giving the speech supporting each of them. Luckily she was able to calm herself and make sure she didn't keep the speech long. This has already been going on for three hours already, and it was almost 3:00 PM.

"And now, with all due consideration." Mayor Goodway continued. "I am very pleased to introduce Miss Sally Alicia Acorn!" The audience gave a clap as she excluded herself and Sally took the stand.

"Thank You, Mayor Goodway." Sally said, and cleared her voice. "And thank all of you for coming. This is truly a wonderful day for all of us here." As she kept speaking everyone in the audience was listening away. But for Sonic, this was pure torture, only during the King's speech and the President's speech. He didn't like sitting around in one spot for too long. But he didn't want to just get up and leave. Plus, he didn't want to leave Tails, Sally, who was in the middle of her speech, or at least Marshall, so he had to suck it up. But when Sally got up to speak, he didn't feel bored or unstable. Just seeing her up there speaking strongly, with no worries at all, like she used to and always did, made the blue hedgehog smiled. Despite everything she faced, she was still the Sally he knew and loved.

"Cute girl, huh?" a voice asked from his right.

"Cute? She's amazing." Sonic said, but then stopped. That voice definitely wasn't Tails, because he was on Sonic's left. The blue hedgehog looked over to see the boy with black spikey hair, red scarf and the sunglasses, looking back at him.

"Hey, you look familiar." Sonic said. "Have we met before?"

"Can't say that we have." The guy said, removing his shades, showing his blue eyes. "Name's Miyamoto. Jamiko Miyamoto."

"Ahhh Japanese." Sonic said as he shook the boy's hand. "Nice to meet you."

"How'd you know I'm from Japan?" Sonic asked.

"Well, the planet has all kinds of interesting cultures." Sonic said. "And yours is the most interesting. You new here?"

"Yeah, I actually flew in yesterday from Tokyo." CJ said.

"Wow, that's almost a seven thousand mile flight from here." Sonic said. "How are you enjoying it here?"

"Pretty nice." CJ said. "Just seeing the sights for vacation."

"Cool." Sonic said. The two glanced forward to continue to hear the speech.

"I know we've had our differences in the past, with us worrying about our own issues." Sally said. "But today, we're no longer strangers to each other. Today, we are all one, stepping into whatever life has to throw at us. And all of you, who have helped us in our time of need, and those who have helped us and each other, I thank you all for your hospitality. But more importantly, personally, I want to thank Sonic, the blue hedgehog which I know you all know and love, who actually helped make all this possible. He's been my best friend who's stuck by me every step of the way. We all wouldn't even be here together if it weren't for him." The blue hedgehog in the audience was actually taken back by this. Hearing all that made him smile. He really did make most of this possible. Though he had to admit, he wouldn't even have made this possible without all the friends he's met over the past couple years.

But then... he felt something. A slight breeze moved by, but the hedgehog felt it. He looked around with his eyes, scanning the crowd in front of him. Something was wrong, he thought. The wind... it was telling him something. Aside from his super sonic speed, Sonic has a very unique ability. He can hear and sense what the wind is telling him. Some believes that it's actually a trait he picked up from his father, who also was guided by the wind during his days as an Assassin. With Sonic, given his incredible speed, the wind is stronger with him. As the wind blew again, Sonic turned his head, looking upward, seeing a shadowy figure up on top of the upper floor. There was a glowing green energy conjuring up. The blue blur's eyes widened, and he looked forward, seeing a red dot rising from the pedestal and up to Sally's forehead.

"Oh no..." He spoke silently, quickly got up from his seat, passing CJ, and getting the attention of everyone around.

"Sonic?" Tails asked. Sonic leaped off onto the walk way and ran toward the pedestal.

"Sally, Look Out!" Sonic shouted as he leaped, the mysterious foe pulled the trigger and fired. Sonic leapt towards the chipmunk and pulled her out the way to the ground, just as a green energy beam blasted the platform. The sudden blast of energy surprised and startled everyone, even Marshall. Luckily, Sally and Sonic were completely unharmed.

"Are you ok?" Sonic asked.

"Yeah, I'm ok..." She answered, in a bit of shock. They both looked back at the destroyed pedestal, which was in ash. The blue hedgehog lifted his head up. Turning back to the direction the shooter was, the figure then leaped off the building and dropped to the ground, revealing more figures joining him.

"You gotta be kidding me." Sonic said as he got up to his feet in surprise. Standing there, were men dressed in purple suits, wearing ninja-like masks and battle gear, with only their eyes being visible. They were Huntsmen, enemies of the dragon race. They were here... In public? This was a surprise. Everyone gasped as they saw the mysterious soldiers, while Marshall's eyes widened up, recognizing the sigils on their attires.

"Uh oh..." He said, knowing he they were. Sonic had told him about the Huntsclan. Now he has seen them in person. The president looked to see the mysterious men. What were they? Terrorists, he thought? Didn't matter. They had to be stopped.

"Quick, stop them!" He spoke.

"You heard the President!" The Commander said. "Stop the intruders!" Security quickly moved in to stop them, only for the dragon slayers to slip past them and engage them in a fight. Some of the huntsmen glanced forward to see Sonic, who was protecting the Princess.

"Capture the rat!" The one in front said, with the rest nodding in agreement. They all rushed forward, with Sonic ready to fight. But soon, CJ rose from his seat and punched the charging men in the face. Surprised, the other men attempted to attack, but CJ performed a kick, removing the staff from one of them. Taking it, he swung it, striking one of the men. As one of the huntsmen attempted to throw a punch, CJ blocked it with his foot and thrusted the staff quickly, striking the slayer and swung the weapon, knocking him out. He then flipped, kicking the last attacker to the ground, and dove the staff downward, stabbing the slayer. He lifted his head up, to see Sonic greatly surprised.

"Whoa..." Sonic said. Who was this guy? Was he some kind of solider or something?

"On your left!" CJ called out. The blue hedgehog looked to his left, seeing another huntsoldier charging toward him. He then threw a kick, sending him to the floor.

"Whoa..." Sally said, seeing the sigil on the man's outfit. "Is he one of those slayers you told me about?"

"Yeah, same ones." Sonic said, turning his head to see some of security dealing with the other huntsmen. "You need to get out of here, ok?"

"I'm not leaving you." Sally said.

"No, trust me." Sonic said. "You and your dad get out of here, ok?" Within that second, not caring who would see, she pulled him in and kissed him passionate.

"You better be safe." She said.

"I promise." He said, as he jumped into the fray. Taking action, Sonic moved in and spun around, leaping off and striking the Huntsoldiers in the heads with his homing attack, knocking them to the floor.

"Tails!" Sonic called out to the fox. "Get these people out!"

"But what about you?" Tails asked.

"I'll deal with them!" Sonic said as he kicked one of the Hunts soldiers in the crotch, making him squeal in a high pitch voice before sending him to the ground. "Just go!" With a nod, Tails flew up into the air, then flew down to a couple of people.

"Quick!" Tails said as he extended his hand. "Grab on and I'll get you out of here!" Taking their hands, he lifted them up and onto the next floor, getting them to a safer route as the chaos kept going. People were panicking as they saw these masked warriors and security fighting each other.

"Oh dear!" Mayor Goodway spoke from her hiding spot. "Ryder, we have to get everyone to safety!"

"Got it!" Ryder spoke before turning to the pups. "PAW Patrol, let's roll out!" Marshall was then brought back to reality as he heard Ryder's voice.

"Oh, on it!" Marshall said, then he turned to the pups. "Pups, let's get everyone out of here! Skye, you and Zuma get everyone on the left to the left exits! Rocky, Rubble, you guys get everyone on the right to the right exit!"

"Got it!" The pups said in unison.

"Alright!" Ryder said. "PAW Patrol..."

"Is On A Roll!" The pups called out together as they moved in. Skye and Zuma went to the left to get everyone on the left side out, while Rocky and Rubble got everyone on the right to the exits on the right. Ryder moved in to help Mayor Goodway, King Acorn, and President Gordon to safety.

"C'mon, let's get out of here!" Ryder said as he helped them to the back exit. The King however, turned around to see Sally, standing stiff as she saw the chaos.

"Sally, hurry!" King Acorn said, getting her attention. Snapping back to her senses, she quickly moved in to join them, only to be stopped by two of the Huntsoldiers.

"Don't move!" They spoke, stopping the chipmunk in her path. She then flicked her arms out, as if she was activating something. But then she looked down at her wrists and saw her bracelets weren't on. She left them back at the place she was staying at.

"Uh oh." She said as the Huntsoldiers moved toward her.

"Hey!" King Acorn said as he rushed toward them, getting their attention. "Leave my daughter alone!" He then pulled out the sword from his hilt and swung, slashing them to the ground.

"Nice hit." Sally said, but then suddenly more soldiers appeared behind her. She turned, and noticed her father moved in front of her, facing them.

"Sally, follow Ryder and get out of here!" He said.

"But dad, what about you?" Sally asked.

"Just go!" He said. "Don't worry about me!"

"Princess, we have to go!" Ryder called out. The girl looked back at the boy then at her father. She didn't want to leave him behind, but there was no way she could fight now. She gave a nod and moved with Ryder.

"Nigel, be careful!" Mayor Goodway called out as she, Sally, Ryder, and the President were escorted out of the room, while the King stayed and fight. As some of the Hunt soldiers approached him, he swung his sword and fought them off. Meanwhile, Sonic was having his fun, taking out some of the huntsmen with his speed and agility. He then remembered. He knew why there were here. That skull he saw back in the storage room. It was one of the Aztec Skull Gems. That must be what they're after. He looked around, and saw Marshall.

"Marshall!" Sonic called out, getting the pup's attention.

"Sonic!" The Dalmatian pup responded as he rushed toward the blue hedgehog. But soon as they got close to each other, one of the huntsoldiers was charging toward the hedgehog, only to be shot by a green blast, sending him to the floor. Sonic turned to see CJ, who looked at the staff he fired.

"Wow, these things do fire projectiles." He said.

"Thanks." Sonic said with a thumbs up.

"Wow..." Marshall said. "Is he like Rose? You know, a traitor too?"

"No, never seen him before." Sonic said, as CJ approached him.

"Your welcome." CJ said.

"Well, I already thanked you." Sonic said. "You a traitor too?"

"No." CJ said. "I'm actually-" Before he could finish his sentence, they heard another sound, like glass breaking. Looking upwards, they saw a couple of more Hunt soldiers jumping into the room, with a much larger one landing between them. As he rose, the other huntsmen stood aside, allowing him to move forward, showing that it was their leader. He was tall, muscular, and while he wore a purple suit like most of his men, he harbored a cape around his shoulders, and masked to hide his face. Upon his head was a helmet in the shape of a dragon skull. It's highly possible that the helmet _is_ a dragon's skull. The only thing to make for his face were his red colored eyes. The Huntsman, other wise known as the Huntsmaster by his pupils and men, is considered bitter, serious, and very sadistic, not even caring who stands in his way. Sonic and Marshall's eyes widened as they saw him.

"Is... is that?" Marshall asked.

"Yeah." Sonic said. "The Huntsman." Taking a quick view of the room, the Huntsmaster turned to his men.

"Men, search for the Aztec Skull and capture anyone that stands in your way." The Huntsman spoke.

"Yes Sir!" The men spoke out and they moved out. He then turned his head forward, to see the King taking down another one of his men. King Acorn then lifted his head, but he was then surprised by the man's structure. He pointed his sword forward, ready to fight.

"Ahhhh… so this is the King I've heard much about." He said as she slowly approached him, unaware of Sonic, CJ, and Marshall on the other side of the room. He looked back at the boy next to him.

"There are people still inside." Sonic said. "Get everyone out if you can."

"Sure, but you and I need to talk later." CJ said.

"Deal." Sonic said. "Now go." With a nod, CJ headed out the room, disappearing and avoiding the Huntsman's detection. The blue hedgehog turned to the pup next to him.

"Marshall." Sonic whispered to the Dalmatian. "You know that room you were hiding in not too long ago?"

"Yeah?" Marshall asked.

"There's an crystal skull with two colored eye gems in there." Sonic said. "That's what they're after."

"The skull gem?" Marshall asked.

"Yes, you go and find it." Sonic said. "Make sure they don't get it, alright?"

"Ok!" Marshall said.

"Good, now go!" Sonic said as the Dalmatian quickly ran out of the room, and the blue hedgehog glanced back at the Huntsman, who was approaching the king.

"What do you want?" King Acorn asked. "Why did you come here?"

"I'm in search of something that I need." The Huntsman said, who then had his eye on the king's sword. "And that sword you have, I'll take that as well." The Huntsman then summoned his staff, which extended blades on each end. But before he could get any closer, someone sped in between him and the king. As the dust cleared, the figure was revealed to be Sonic, who was facing against the dragon slayer, who gave a hateful glare.

"You... Sonic the Hedgehog." He hissed.

"Huntsman." Sonic said. "The Dragon Realm's #4 Threat."

"Well soon, I shall be #1 biggest threat." The Huntsman said.

"Sorry, but the Dark Dragon holds that position." Sonic said.

"The Dark Dragon is dead." The Huntsman replied.

"Yeah, but you're nothing compared to that." Sonic said. "I have to say, attacking a public place in front of humans. That's cold... and desperate, even for you."

"There are times when we must make desperate decisions." Huntsman said.

"Blah blah blah..." Sonic spoke. "Yeah, I get the picture. You know, when my dad told you to leave the dragons alone, you should've listened. I guess throwing you into that monster pit didn't give you the memo." The Dragon killing master only growled. That's right. The Huntsman knew who Sonic was, and who he was descended from. He had a very embarrassing encounter with the hedgehog's father, who was on an assassination mission which ended up being a rescue mission. It's a long story.

"How dare you mention that horrible memory." He spoke. "Of course, I should thank him for it. I wouldn't be the most feared man in the world if it weren't for him."

"Awww... you're finally accepting your humiliation." Sonic said with a smirk.

"You seem to not know the meaning of humiliation, rodent." Huntsman said. "But you will when I rip your head off."

"Boring... Let's Fight!" Sonic spoke out, taking his stance. He then ran fast and struck him with his homing attack, but the Huntsman blocked it with his staff. He swung, but the hedgehog dodged. Since Sonic can run at super sonic speed, he could dodge almost anything thrown at him. Well, almost anything. The blue hedgehog then grabbed one of the chairs and hurled it at the dragon slayer, but he sliced it with his staff, glowing with green energy.

"Is that really the best you could do?" Huntsman asked as he aimed at the hedgehog and fired, but Sonic zipped out of the way, each time the Huntsman fired. Sonic was just too fast.

"You know what, let's kick it up a notch." Sonic said as he moved up and began to throw some punches. The Huntsman blocked each one, even the kick that Sonic threw. As the two were righting, the King waited behind one of the pillars that kept the upper floor up. He watched as Sonic kept throwing more kicks and punches, but the Huntsman blocked each one, and with aim, he fired his staff, hurtling the hedgehog to the wall.

"Now, I got you!" He shouted, aiming once more at the Hedgehog. Then suddenly, King Acorn emerged from his spot and swung his sword, striking the dragon slayer in the side.

"GAH!" He shouted before turning to face the king. "You will pay for that!" He then swung his staff, but the king deflected it with his own blade, and the two crossed sword and staff, engaging in a duel. Seeing him distracted, Sonic jumped out of the wall and spun dash into the Huntsman's back, almost making him lose balance. The Huntsman swung back, but Sonic dodged.

"Your majesty, you should get out of here!" Sonic said.

"And leave you here to fight on your own?" King Acorn asked. "Not a chance!" He then swung his sword to throw off the Huntsman's aim, but the dragon slayer kicked him away, but the opportunity allowed Sonic to punch the Huntsman several times in the face, nearly cracking his helmet.

Back with Marshall, he was rushing down the hallway, making his way straight to the room he and Sonic were in. Luckily, he remembered the path he took from there to the conference room.

"I should almost be there!" He said. "I should almost be there-" He then turned to his right and came to a halt. He saw two figures coming out of the room. They too were wearing the purple suits that the Huntsmen wore, but they were a bit smaller than the others, most likely teenage boys. They were Huntsmen #88, the skinny one with the buck teeth and Huntsmen #89, the smaller, rounder, and dark skinned one. Actually, there was no telling if it was the other way around, but cares.

"Dude, We Got It!" #88 said, holding the skull gem up. "We actually found it!"

"That's what I'm talking about!" #89 said as he high fived his fellow huntsboy, unaware that Marshall saw them. "That was actually easy, bro."

"Hey!" Marshall called out. "That doesn't belong to you!" He rushed over to the boys and began to bark loudly, getting their attention. They only had one reaction.

"AAAAAAHHHHHH!" The two shouted as they hugged each other in fear, dropping the skull to the ground. "TALKING DOG!"

"Huh?" Marshall asked, a bit surprised that they're actually frightened.

"What do we do?!" #88 asked? "What do we do?!"

"Don't look at me!" #89 shouted back. "It's a talking dog!"

"What…" Marshall asked, but then he remembered. Sonic told him that some of the Huntsclan were a couple of cowards, and these two had to be the cowards. An idea came to his head. If these guys were scared by just him talking, then maybe he could scare them away.

"Oh yeah, I sure can talk." Marshall said. "And I can do this too!" He then let out a bark, then suddenly, his small pup pack emitted a small double barrel cannon, locked and loaded.

"Say hello to my little friend!" Marshall said, imitating Tony Montana from the movie _Scarface_, as the cannon clicked.

"AHHHH!" #88 shouted. "He's got a cannon!"

"RUN, MAMA!" #89 shouted as he and his friend ran away, leaving the Skull Gem behind. Marshall stood there proud, and a bit surprised.

"Wow, I didn't even have to use my water cannon." Marshall said, while it squirted out a short torrent of water. That's what his cannon actually does, shoot out gushes of water like a fire hose, used primarily to put out fires. He glanced down and picked up the skull with his mouth. He then made his way back to the conference room.

Speaking of which, Sonic and the King were still fighting against the Huntsman, who was shooting and swinging his staff as Sonic jumped around and bashed him with his homing attack, and the King swung his sword, striking him everywhere.

"Last chance, Huntsy!" Sonic said as he zoomed up the man's face.

"Never!" The Huntsman said as he grabbed Sonic by the legs and picked him up. He then hurled him towards the King and knocked them to the ground.

"Sorry, your majesty." Sonic said.

"It's no harm." King Acorn said. They both looked up to see the Huntsman approaching them, with his staff charging up.

"Time to finish you off, once and for all." He said, as Marshall came to the doors, and stopped. The Dalmatian pup gasped, dropping the Skull Gem from his mouth, seeing the dragon slayer ready to finish of Sonic and the King. He wasn't gonna let that happen.

"Hey, Leave Them Alone!" Marshall shouted and barked, rushing in from behind. "Water Cannon!" His small pup pack then emitted his cannon, then on command, the cannon fired a gush of water at the Huntsman's face, staggering him a bit.

"You insolent canine!" He shouted as he swung his staff, hitting Marshall across the room and through the wall. "That'll teach you!"

"HEY!" Sonic shouted as he jumped on the Huntsman's back. "Nobody Does That To My Pup!" He then wrapped his arms around the Huntsmaster and pulled, trying to choke him. Despite his efforts, the Huntsman grabbed the hedgehog and threw him to the ground. He then aimed with his staff and fired, hitting Sonic and hurtling him crashing into the chairs. Sonic moaned in the bit of pain he felt. He tried to pull himself out, but the chairs were pushing down on top of him, making getting out a struggle. The blue hedgehog looked up to see the Dragon slayer, ready to finish him off.

"Prepare to die... Rodent!" The Huntsmaster shouted as he aimed. But suddenly, King Acorn jumped in, swinging his sword and struck the hunter's scepter, making it blast away and hit the wall, making it crumble down.

"Fool!" The Huntsman shouted as he pushed the King back, and then swung, with a slash striking the king, followed by a small burst of blood from his abdomen. Sonic's eyes widened with shock. The king was struck!

"NOOOOO!" Sonic shouted, as King Acorn fell down to the ground. As he collapsed, the Huntsmaster ran away, and spotted the Skull Gem on the ground. With a sinister smile, he picked it up and ran, disappearing into the smoke. Seeing the king unconscious, Sonic pulled himself out the debris and rushed over to him.

"Your majesty!" Sonic said. "Your majesty, are you alright?" The king's hand twitched for a brief second, and his eyes slowly opened as he gave a ragged breathing. He clutched where he was struck, right in the stomach, which was bleeding.

"It's ok, we're gonna get you help." Sonic said as he tried to help the king up. He then turned his head back. "Marshall!" Poking right out of the hole in the wall was Marshall, who was still dizzy from the impact he felt.

"Ow... why do I always get hurt..." Marshall spoke as he rubbed his head.

"Marshall, we need help!" Sonic called out. The Dalmatian pup looked over to see Sonic, and the king on the ground, where his stomach was bleeding.

"Oh No!" Marshall called out as he got out of the wall and rushed to the hedgehog and king. "Is he ok?!"

"He's bleeding!" Sonic said, glancing at the wound on the king's stomach.

"Hold on!" Marshall said as he gave a bark. "Bandages!" His pup pack then emitted a role of medical bandages.

"Here, use these!" He said, with Sonic taking the bandages and wrapped them around the king's wound. It wasn't going to stop the bleeding, but it will keep it back and slow it down... hopefully. The King grunted as the pain kept going through.

"Don't worry your majesty, you're gonna be ok." Sonic said as he got him to his feet.

"No... it's... too late." he said as he continued to limp to the ground.

"No... no it's not." Sonic said. "I can..." Before he could speak anymore, the king placed his hand on the hedgehog's shoulder. He stared right at him for just a few moments, and smiled.

"You look... just like your father." He said. The hedgehog's eyes widened.

"You're majesty." Sonic said, trying to help him, while underneath his scarf, a necklace was shown. The king glanced up, to see the ring in the necklace around Sonic's neck.

"You... possess the Ring..." He said. The hedgehog knew what he was talking about. The gold crystal ring he had around his neck.

"What of it?" Sonic said. The King lowered his hand, and gripped the sword that he was holding. The silver sword that had a blue detailing on it, and a small wing upward adorned on the guard.

"Take this..." The King said, handing the blue hedgehog his sword.

"Oh, I can't take this." Sonic said.

"No... keep it." He said, placing the sword in Sonic's grip. "It is in... the right hands now... And Sonic..."

"Yes?" Sonic asked. The King gave a weak whisper.

"Take care of Sally for me..." King Acorn said with a smile. "Be there for her..." He was then losing consciousness from the loss of blood. Sonic's eyes widened, as did Marshall.

"I'm not leaving you to die." Sonic said. "I won't do that to Sal." He then picked up the king, knowing there was still a chance to save him. In his arms, he carried him out to safety, with a startled Marshall following him. The pup gasped.

"Oh No!" Marshall said. "The Skull Gem!" He looked back to where he came from and saw it gone. Oh no, he thought. The Huntsman must've took it while he ran.

"Don't worry about it, Marshall." Sonic said. "Let's get the king to safety." The Dalmatian pup gave a defeated sigh and nodded. He then followed the blue hedgehog out of the room. As they went out the door to the exit, Marshall looked back to see the damages. The entire room was trashed, chairs all over the place, the curtains damaged badly, and some of the busts were busted... literally.

"Boy... the maids are gonna have a hard time cleaning this up." He said to himself.

* * *

Chaos... that was all there was. Just chaos. Everyone was rushing out of the building as they clung to each other, confused and horrified by what happened in there. The masked soldiers coming in and attacking whoever were in their way. Luckily, not many casualties happened, as the PAW Patrol managed to escort everyone out to safety. Policemen managed to arrive to the scene to help out as well, and so did the firetrucks and ambulances in case anyone got hurt.

"Everyone move out, single file!" Ryder called out as people passed him.

"Everyone remain calm!" Skye called out as the pups were also saying the same as everyone exited out.

"Looks like that's all of them." Rocky said.

"Wait, where's Marshall?" Rubble asked.

"Is he still inside?" Zuma asked. Pretty soon, Tails, Sally and Mayor Goodway arrived to the group.

"Oh my, is everyone alright?" she asked.

"Yes, but Marshall's still in there." Rocky said.

"My father's in there too!" Sally said, showing deep concern.

"Sonic hasn't come out yet." Tails said. "He's probably looking for them now."

"Let me check." Ryder said as he pulled out a small phone, which was actually a Pup-Pad, which acts like a phone. Well it should be a phone, actually. He started calling Marshall's pup tag. "Marshall, are you there? Marshall, come in!"

"I'm here, Ryder!" Marshall said, speaking through the pad, with everyone relieved to hear his voice.

"Good to hear you, Marshall." Ryder said. "Are you still in there?"

"Is Sonic and my father ok?" Sally asked.

"We're coming out Ryder!" Marshall said through the phone. "But we need an ambulance, right away!"

"Why?" Ryder asked, as Sally looked at the doors, which were still letting out some dust. As the others turned, they saw Marshall coming out, with Sonic, holding the king in his arms. Sally's eyes widened with horror, seeing her father unconscious.

"Oh no... Daddy..!" She spoke as she rushed forward.

"Princess, wait!" Ryder said as he and Tails followed.

"Someone, get an ambulance!" Sonic called out as he and Marshall made their way, Just as Sally approached him.

"Sonic, what happened?!" Sally asked. "Is he ok?!"

"He's unconscious." Sonic said. "We need to get him to the hospital."

"Oh My!" Mayor Goodway spoke as she saw the king unconscious. She turned and spotted a couple of paramedics coming out of the back of the ambulance. She rushed over to them.

"Gentlemen, the King's hurt!" She said. "He needs medical attention, ASAP!"

"Copy that, ma'am." One of the paramedics said as they set up the carrier and the group made their way. The blue hedgehog placed the king onto the bed.

"Please, Help Him!" Sally pleaded.

"Don't worry, we'll get him to the nearest hospital." The second paramedic said.

"I'm riding along." She said. "He's my father."

"Of course, ma'am." The first paramedic said. "We'll have to hurry." They then lifted the carrier and helped the king inside the back of the ambulance, and Sally hopped in, as Sonic approached her.

"Sal." Sonic said, getting her attention, and he saw there were tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry..."

"I know." Sally said as she went into the back and the paramedics closed the doors. The ambulance took off to the hospital, while Sonic and the others watched on. The blue hedgehog couldn't help but sigh with guilt. The king got hurt on his watch.

"Sonic." Ryder said, his hand on his shoulder. "This isn't your fault."

"Is it?" Sonic asked as he kept staring down, seeing the ambulance disappear. Behind them, the pups only stood there, confused and worried of what happened. This was very serious. They knew and expected that they would have to face against anything during something like this. But a bunch of guys wearing masks and wielding spears and energy staves. This was way different than saving lost animals, chasing a crown stealing dog, or stop a greedy mayor from Foggy Bottom from messing up Adventure Bay.

"I hope the king's ok." Rubble said.

"Me too." Rocky said. Marshall was the only one looking at the ground, looking a bit sad and distraught, much to their notice. "Marshall, are you ok?"

"I... I need some air." Marshall said as he removed himself from the group and down the sidewalk. Zuma was about to go after him, but Skye stopped him.

"Let him." Skye said. "He needs some time to himself." The pups nodded in agreement. They just hope he doesn't go to far off. Luckily, Marshall turned to the alley nearby and he let out a heavy sigh. He couldn't help but feel guilty for all this. Sure, everyone got out safe and sound, but he couldn't stop that dragon slayer, and he took the Skull Gem, the one Marshall dropped. He blew it. He started knocking his head on the wall.

"I blew it, I blew it, I blew it." He said, hitting his forehead on the wall. Luckily, he didn't hit it too hard, but it was enough to make him rub his poor head. He needed to stop being too hard on himself. Everyone else got out safely and there were no major casualties. But he still felt like he didn't do good enough. It was something that he would always struggle with.

"I'd take it that you have what you want?" a voice said.

"Yes, I have what I need." Another voice said. The pup's ears perked up as he heard the voices. He turned his head, and began to sniff, catching two unfamiliar scents. He wasn't as good of a scent tracker as Chase was, but his training with him has helped him improve a bit... just a bit. Following the scents, the Dalmatian pup moved to the source, and hid behind the broken wall. Leaning his head forward, he saw with his own eyes... the Huntsman! The man who was behind the attack on City Hall. He didn't want to miss any more of this. The pup then leaned toward his pup pack and silently spoke.

"Video camera..." He whispered, and the pup pack emitted a video recorder. It aimed directly at the Huntsman and whoever he was talking to, both of them completely unaware of his presence.

"The last of the Skull Gems is in my possession." The Huntsman said. "I already have plans to reclaim the remaining ones from the American Dragon." The man he was speaking too, however, was a strange shadowy figure, wearing a long black trench coat, and a hooded scarf to hide his face, though his mouth and stubbled grey skinned chin were visible.

"There is however one thing that you have failed to aquire..." The hooded man said.

"And what is that?" Hunstman asked.

"The sword." The cloaked man said. "The sword that King Acorn had. The blade is what is said to be one of the Pieces of Eden. And my colleagues need it... badly."

"The blade... seemed to have slipped my mind." The Huntsman said. "That little blue rat got in the way, along with that wretched king. No doubt the hedgehog is in possession of the sword."

"Now Huntsy boy..." The figure spoke. "We had a talk about this. You said that you would give us the sword should we help you. I'll remind you that we helped fund your army and your weapons, and we'll take it all away from you should you ever cross us."

"And you will have it when I get it back." The Huntsman said. "The hour will be upon us tonight. The thirteen Skull Gems will be brought to the sacred place here in the city. And with their power, I shall wipe out every single dragon off the face of the world, and this land will be mine to rule. And you... Shadowy Figure, will have your moment." The Huntsman prepared to leave, while Marshall still remained in his hiding spot, hearing and recording the entire conversation.

"Sooo… uh... about your little apprentice." Shadowy Figure said.

"What of her?" Huntsman asked.

"Heard that she was banging the American Dragon." Shadowy Figure said jokingly, with the Huntsmaster turning his head to give a cold glare to the shrouded figure.

"Silence, you jester!" He shouted, with Shadowy Figure only smiled. "It was already embarrassing enough for that hedgehog and dragon to make a fool out of me, but my own apprentice helping them behind my back. Should've known I had a traitor in our mits… Luckily, I've already convinced her to help me."

"You mean threatening to kill her parents?" Shadowy Figure asked.

"If... she refused or fail." The Huntsman answered.

"To be honest, I must say, I wasn't really expecting you to promise to return her to her parents to convince that little apprentice of yours to betray her little dragon mate." The cloaked man said. The Huntsmaster only grunted in dispute.

"My only concern is to wipe out the entire magical realm and rule it as I see fit." He spoke.

"Oh... and I take it you'll be dropping your little traitor back off to her mother and father once we're done, right?" Shadowy Figure asked.

"No..." The Huntsmaster said. "I don't intention on keeping that promise. Once the American Dragon is out of my way, and she has killed him, I will kill her, and rip her heart out." The pup watching from his hiding spot silently gasped as he heard what they were saying. He's going to steal the other skull gems from the American Dragon? He has to warn Sonic!

* * *

**9!**

**Yep, that's the end of this chapter. Was really hard to write because of what I wanted for the next chapter.**

**So yes, it contained SONIC characters as well as some PAW Patrol characters.**

**On certain points for the characters, Tails has a big appetite, which is described in the Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog show. Knuckles and Amy are a thing in the HQ universe. Got a little inspired by some of the KnucklesXAmy fanart as well as Knuckles and Amy's adventures in the SONIC archie comics. Unfortunately, they're only getting cameo appearances, so yes.**

**I featured Sally in the story because Sonic needs a love interest, and yes, she's my favorite, hands down. It's kinda sad that she and the freedom fighters are not in the IDW comics... ...for now at least. I pray that one day they'll be in at least one game.**

**Also, adding the Huntsclan from American Dragon: Jake Long, and the title character too into the story. They're not much part of the story. They're just a side thing for Sonic to finish before getting him into the main adventure, and not all the characters from the show will be in the story, just the ones that are necessary. Speaking of which, I couldn't remember or tell who was Huntsboy 88 or 89 (the two comical ones). I suppose it doesn't matter. And as for the Huntsman, the big baddy, I got a little surprise for him in the next chapter. And of course, Shadowy Figure from OK KO Let's Be Heroes, he's only got a cameo in this story.**

**I love Marshall. He's such a cutie, funny. It was nice to play around with him and the pups. In this story, the Paw Patrol pups are a bit older, around 13 to 14 in dog years, with Ryder being around 14 to 15. I imagined them sounding like their previous actors from Season 2 to Season 5, such as Elijha Hammill (Ryder), Drew Davis (Marshall), Devan Cohen (Rubble), Max Calinescu (Chase), Stuart Ralston (Rocky), Alex Thorne (Zuma), and Kallan Holley (Skye), who are all are in their middle to late teen years. No offense to the new and current actors, they do a great job as well.**

**Anyway, I've written this chapter and the next one simultaneously, so maybe the next one will be up soon. And while it'll be based on the ADJL episode Homecoming, it won't go as sad as you think. Maybe violent, but not sad. Just stay tuned.**


	9. Chapter 9: Gotta Go Fast!

**Here's the next chapter. It might be a little messy, but bare with me on it, ok? Expect some blood and violence.**

**Also, this chapter contains some spoilers regarding the American Dragon series, but the events in this story has changed dramatically so there isn't too much spoilers. If you haven't watched the show, please do. It's really good!**

**Oh, and not all the characters are in this chapter or story, just ones I've selected.**

**Oh, and Sonic may act a little bit OOC (Out of Character), which there is a reason for that. And we got a fight inspired by the Loqi boss from Final Fantasy XV!**

_**WARNING****: This Chapter has been updated and toned down a bit for the Huntsman fight, while adding more dialogue to the plate.**_

* * *

**_Chapter 09: Gotta Go Fast_**

The news of the attack at the peace signing spread like wildfire. For those who aren't truly aware, the Huntsmen are warriors who are dedicated to slaying dragons and other magical creatures. Reason why? No one knows, but that could fall under their Master, who used to be ridiculed for his puney appearance and his high-pitched voice, that is until destiny became a bitch and he ended up being thrown into a pit of vicious monsters by none other than Sonic's own father Ezio Parlouzer, who helped the magical dragons long ago on a rescue mission to save one of their own. In the ending result, the Huntsmaster emerged deformed and sadistic, and his voice deepened to a very scary voice, which made him feared by his own peers, even by his students. Now his mission was to slay all magical creatures, and conquer the world, even if it means to slaughter anyone in their path, even his own men.

They were now struggling however, after they made the mistake in capturing Sonic the Hedgehog, who crossed paths with Jake Long and several other magical creatures. Since the blue hedgehog has gotten involved in the fray, the Huntsclan were losing like sitting ducks. But now, from what Marshall had witnessed, they seemed to have gotten their weapons from an unknown source. That Shadowy Figure must be their client, or a client of another source. It was too early to tell.

Now, with everything that has happened. Everyone was dealing with the fallout from the attack. In response of the attack, with the President's permission, the Mayor of Manhatten has issued a manhunt for the Huntsclan, and has dispatched the NYPD to find and take them down. But that wasn't going to solve anything. They don't know exactly who the huntsmen were, and they were not aware of the Magical Realm, since that would cause problems for both sides.

Everyone, including Sonic, were at the Mercy Hospital, and the blue hedgehog was waiting near the doorway to one of the rooms, while Sally was inside, sitting next to her father, who was in bed, unconscious and hurt. The doctors said that he was hit pretty hard from the Huntsman's attack. While they were able to patch the wound, he was in some sort of a coma. They're not sure if he's gonna get out of it anytime soon. Hearing that brought tears to Sally, as she only sat there, unable to do anything. Sonic only watched from the doorway. He couldn't help but feel guilty for what happened to the King.

But he wasn't gonna back out now. He knew at this moment, the Huntsclan has taken this too far. Not only did they attack the King, they tried to kill Sally. They messed with the wrong crowd this time. And this was personal. Sonic knew what he had to do. He had to find Jake and put an end to the Huntsmen once and for all, no matter what. Ready for action, he left and went down the hallway, picking up and putting on his backpack, heading for the way to the roof.

"Sonic?" A voice called from behind. Turning around, he saw Ryder and Rocky approaching him. "You're leaving already?"

"I got to." Sonic said. "Those Huntsmen are not gonna get away with this. Not today. This ends tonight."

"But Sonic, the Huntsclan are pretty dangerous." Rocky said. "I know you have history with them, but they're not ones to take lightly."

"Maybe, but they made a grave mistake attacking the king and Sal." Sonic said. "It's time that I show them what happens when they mess with one of our own." Ryder and Rocky only stood there, knowing that Sonic was not gonna let this go.

"Well, be very careful, Sonic." Ryder said. "And if you need us, you let us know."

"Thanks." Sonic said. "Let Sal know that I'm gonna set this right."

"Don't worry, we will." Ryder said.

"Well then, I might as well check up with Jake. No doubt the huntboys are gonna go after him and his friends." The blue hedgehog continued before making his way to the door, but then he turned back to Rocky "Oh, and Rocky, can you tell Marshall that I'll be back to see him soon?"

"Sure thing, Sonic." Rocky said. The blue blur gave a nod and smile of thanks.

"Welp, see you guys around!" Sonic said with a wink. He opened the door, and in an instant, he took off running at full speed. As the wind blue around them, Ryder and Rocky watched on.

"Wow, if Chase was here, he would give him a speeding ticket for sure." Rocky said as Ryder gave a chuckle.

"Yeah." Ryder said, but then looked at the clock, seeing it displayed 7:30 PM. Chase wasn't back yet from his mission. He was suppose to be back today, but he's been gone for much longer though.

"Chase still isn't back yet." Ryder said. "I hope that he's ok."

"Yeah, I'm surprised he became a member of one of the highest multiverse protectors in the world." Rocky said. "I guess we should expect him to be gone a little while longer."

"Yeah." Ryder said. "Probably."

"Marshall's gonna be a bit disappointed he didn't say goodbye to Sonic though." Rocky said. "Speaking of Marshall, where is he?"

"He's probably taking a nap after helping us get everyone out of the building today." Ryder said.

"Well, he seemed pretty distraught after what happened." Rocky said. "I hope he doesn't start sleepwalking again."

"Ryder! Rocky!" a high pitch voice came from behind into the room. Turning around, the two saw Skye approaching them with worry all over her face.

"Hey Skye, is something wrong?" Ryder asked.

"Is Marshall sleepwalking again?" Rocky asked. "I hope I didn't jinx it."

"No, that's what I came to tell you." She said. "Wait, where's Sonic?"

"He just left." Ryder said. "Why?"

"We went to tell Marshall that Sonic was departing, but we can't find him." Skye said.

"Ryder!" Two more voices called out, revealing to be Rubble and Zuma rushing ito the room.

"Rwyder, we can't find Mawshall!" Zuma said. "He's missing!"

"Yeah, he- wait." Rubble said, and then glanced back at Zuma. "Zuma, why do you have trouble pronouncing the R sound?"

"I told you, I have whotacism." Zuma said. "I can't pwonounce the R sound cowwectly."

"But didn't you grow out of it though?" Rubble asked. Zuma was about to speak, but then started thinking.

"Uhhh... I don't know." He said.

"Um... guys, can we get back to the subject?" Ryder asked. "What do you mean you can't find Marshall?"

"Oh yeah!" Zuma said. "We can't find Mawshall anywhewe!"

"We checked his pup house, but he wasn't inside!" Rubble said. "And his suit and gear is gone too!"

"He's gone?!" Ryder and Rocky asked.

"Yes, but he did leave us a note though." Skye said, showing a piece of paper in her paw. "He asked us to... record the New Season premiere of _Winx Club _on the DVR?"

"WHAT?!" Rubble asked. "He didn't tell me the new season of _Winx Club _was airing tonight!" Rubble said, with all eyes on him, making him blush in a tint of embarrassment. "What? It's a pretty good show! Bloom and all those girls are pretty hot too."

"Marshall's missing?" Rocky asked. "Where could he have gone to?" The boy next to him began to think. Then the answer came to his head. He smiled as he looked out the door in the direction Sonic went too.

"I think I know." He said.

* * *

Pretty soon, the blue hedgehog was about, jumping from rooftop to rooftop to where he was going, where that was. He came to a full stop to check his surroundings, seeing the Empire State Building. The blue hedgehog gave a sigh. This sure brought back memories. But he had no time for sightseeing. The Huntsclan are on the loose, especially since they have the last of the Aztec Skulls. He had to warn Jake, and get going right away. But... for some reason, his backpack felt a bit heavy.

"Ok, why does my bag feel heavy?" Sonic asked as removed his backpack from his shoulders and let dropped to the ground for a bit.

"Ouch!"

The blue hedgehog froze, turning his head back to his backpack. Did it just say Ouch? Lifting it back up, he opened the latch and peeked inside.

"WHOA!" Sonic shouted as he jumped, dropping the bag back onto the floor. It tipped over, with a white dalmation pup sliding right out. He wore a jet-black long sleeve vest with red cuffs, with a white thick line on the upper chest, and six red rombuluses on each side. There were also two yellow lines on the side, and two pounches around his belt. On the pup's head was a red fire helmet with the Paw Patrol symbol on the front, and a clicked in flashlight on the left side. On his back was a red and yellow pup-pack, with built in cannons. It was none other than Marshall, and he was wearing his Ultimate Rescue Gear.

"I'm ok..." He said. Sonic looked down to see the pup with confusion, but he recognized the little guy.

"Marshall?!" He asked. "What were you doing in my backpack?"

"Oh!" Marshall said, quickly getting to his feet. "I... I... I accidently slipped right in."

"Well, I didn't actually hear you." Sonic said.

"That's because... I was asleep?" Marshall said with a nervous smile. The blue hedgehog only gave a raised eyebrow, but yet he was smiling, knowing something was up. The dalmation pup gave a defeated sigh.

"Ok... I wanted to tag along." Marshall said.

"Does Ryder know you're with me?" Sonic asked.

"I left a note." Marshall said. "Probably should've told him in person though." The pup lowered his head in shame, while Sonic gave a sigh, but his smile didn't faint.

"Aw Marsh." Sonic said as he petted the pup on the head. "All you had to do was ask."

"I was planning to ask you." Marshall said. "But with all the stuff that was going on and all that, you were kinda in a hurry to leave so... I... you know. And..."

"And what?" Sonic asked.

"Well, you told me to find the Skull Gem, and I did." Marshall began. "But I dropped it while trying to help you and that's how the Huntsman got it. It's my fault that he got it. I'm sorry I let you down." The pup only stared at the floor with guilt. Never less, the blue hedgehog petted the pup's head.

"Hey, it's ok Marshall." Sonic said. "What happened isn't your fault. Besides, you saved me. I wouldn't even be here if you hadn't jumped in. What you did was being a good friend, and a good pup too." He scratched the Dalmatian on the head affectionately, making the pup smile.

"Thanks, Sonic." Marshall said.

"Well, we better get going." Sonic said. The pup lifted his head and ear up. He said we should get going.

"Wait, does that mean I can tag along?" Marshall asked.

"Of course you can." Sonic said. "Besides, you're here already so might as well."

"Oh thank you thank you!" Marshall said, but then, the pup gasped for a second. "Oh Right! Sonic, there's something I need to tell you!"

"What's that?" Sonic asked.

"The Huntsman." Marshall said. "They're planning to steal the other Aztec Skulls from your dragon friend!"

"What?" Sonic asked.

"After we got the king out, I stumbled upon a conversation between the big leader and someone wearing a strange coat." Marshall said. "I think it was an accomplice or something. They're gonna steal the other skull gems right under our noses, and they're gonna kill and wipe out all the dragons in the world!"

"They are?!" Sonic asked.

"Yeah, but that's not all." Marshall said. "That girl that your dragon friend is friends with, the Huntsman knows that she's helping you guys! He's blackmailing her to steal the gems, and he's gonna kill her when he's got 'em all! Sonic's eyes opened wide as he heard that. The girl in question was Rose, Jake's friend and... well, they're actually more than friends. The Huntsman know that she was helping them? And now he's gonna kill her?

"Then we better hurry quick!" Sonic said. "C'mon, let's get to Lao Shi's shop! That's where the other gems are."

"Ok!" The pup responded, and they were off.

* * *

Making his way from building to building, the blue hedgehog kept running as fast as he could, while Marshall rode backseat in his backpack. It was a bit hard for Marshall to see since Sonic was running so fast, everything looked blurry.

"Where are we going again?" Marshall asked.

"To Jake's grandpa's shop." Sonic said. "It shouldn't be to far now." Pretty soon, the blue hedgehog leaped from one of the buildings onto the street below him. Giving his small structure and acrobatic agility, he always makes a smooth landing. Pretty soon they were at a nice antique shop. Since it was an old shop, the title of it was a bit rusted and unreadable, but Sonic is good with landmarks so he had no problem finding it.

"Wow, this looks pretty nice." Marshall said as he hopped out of Sonic's backpack.

"Yep." Sonic said as they made their way towards the door. "We'll try to make this quick as possible. And don't talk about his height."

"Ok." Marshall said as Sonic opened the door and stepped right in.

"Hey, Lao Shi!" Sonic called out. "We got business to talk a... about." The blue hedgehog's cocky face went to complete shock, as he saw the entire store trashed. The front counter was busted, the tables were broken, and the chairs were reduced to rubble. The blue hedgehog and the Dalmatian pup didn't know what to say.

"Uh oh..." Sonic said. "We might be too late."

"Oh boy." Marshall said as they made their way past the counter and into the backroom, which was where Lao Shi would always be, weather to be alone or train Jake aggressively. Looking inside, they saw everything in ruins. All the stuff inside was trashed, and the ceiling was caved in.

"Lao Shi!" Sonic called out. "Fu-Dude! You guys in here?!"

"Oooooohh..." the sound of a raspy and old voice made Sonic turn his head. There under part of the ceiling, was a short elderly man with pointy ears, thin white hair, thick eyebrows, a Fu Manchu mustache, and he wore blue robes with yellow sleeves.

"Lao Shi!" Sonic called out as he rushed over to help the old man. Yes, it was Lao Shi, Jake's grandfather and mentor. Sonic lifted part of the ceiling up and pulled the old man out.

"Hey, Lao Shi." Sonic said as he knelt down, sitting him right up. "Are you alright?" The old man began to moan a bit in pain.

"Don't go to the light man, don't go to the light." Sonic said.

"You're... on... my hand..." Lao Shi whispered.

"Huh?" Sonic asked as he looked down, and saw that he was stepping on the old mentor's hand. "Whoops, Sorry!" He moved his foot, allowing Lao Shi to sigh with a bit of relief with the pain gone... most of it at least.

"What happened?" Sonic asked.

"They came..." Lao Shi said.

"The Huntsmen?" Sonic asked.

"Yes, they trashed everything." Lao Shi said as he looked around. "And I was so close to selling it for a good bargain."

"Dude, the shop will have to be worried about later." Sonic said. "The Huntsmen were here, were they."

"I'm afraid they were blue blur." A voice said getting his attention. Marshall turned his head and saw another dog coming into the room. It was Fu-Dog, a Shar Pei dog, roughly around 600 years old, Jake's magical dog and guardian. Despite him being an Asian dog, his voice was more American, almost like a certain yellow dog from Adventure Time.

"Those Huntsmen came in and trashed the entire shop." Fu Dog said. They even destroyed my card collection, and all my bones." Marshall stood there a bit dumbfounded to see another dog talk.

"Whoa." Marshall said. "You can talk too?"

"Of course I can talk, and I can tell good jokes too." Fu Dog said. "Say, are you a magical guardian to Sonic here?"

"Oh, no, I'm actually a regular pup." Marshall said. "I'm Fire Pup Marshall of the PAW Patrol."

"PAW Patrol?" Fu-Dog asked. "Never heard of it."

"Really?" Marshall asked. "You never heard of us?"

"Nope." Fu-Dog said. "In all my six hundred years, I've never heard of anything called a PAW Patrol."

"Six hundred years?" Marshall asked, before turning to the viewer. "That's old..."

"Fu-Dude." Sonic said approaching the dog. "The Skull Gems?"

"They're gone." Fu-Dog answered. "The Huntsmen took them all, and I couldn't see a thing. They just got back from my date." Sonic only sighed, but then he remembered. The security camera that was in the room. Looking around, he saw it up on the ceiling.

"Camera!" Sonic said as he jumped up and took it. He looked into the camera itself and watched the footage of the raid. His suspicions were correct. In the footage showed the Huntsclan,the same ones that were at City Hall. They ransacked the whole place. But Sonic's attention was towards the girl with blue eyes in the video. He knew who it was.

"It's true." Sonic said as he lowered his head. He put the Camera in his backpack and glanced at Marshall.

"Marshall, it's time." Sonic said, with the pup giving a nod.

"The Huntsmen must be stopped." Lao Shi said as he struggled to get up. "We must find Jake and..." The old man was still struggling to get to his feet, but his shoulder was touched by Sonic, who was urging him to lay down.

"No, you rest." Sonic said. "I'll fight in your place. Besides, the Huntsman attacked the king, so I'm gonna return the favor." He then made his way towards the exit.

"C'mon, Marshall." Sonic said. "Let's roll out."

"You got it." Marshall said as he followed the hedgehog.

"Wait, what am I suppose to do?" Fu-Dog asked.

"Look after Lao Shi." Sonic said as he opened the door. "We'll take it from here." The blue hedgehog and the Fire pup went out the door, leaving Fu Dog to take care of Lao Shi.

"Oh, great." Fu Dog said. "So I'm gonna be sitting on the side lines this time. Oh sure, leave a six hundred dog who knows jokes out of the story, huh?" Hearing the Shar Pei dog complain made Lao Shi shake his head and sigh.

* * *

As always, Sonic kept running down the streets, with Marshall in tow, all the way to Jake's house, located on 182 Shorn Eagle Drive. To give a bit of history between the two, as mentioned before, Sonic accidently stumbled upon a Huntsclan meeting while visiting New York City last year, and after bumping heads with Jake, the two got kidnapped and were chained up to a couple of other magical creatures. They did manage to escape and unchain themselves, and the two decided to lead the magical creatures to fight off the Huntsclan, which was met with lots of success, and since then, Sonic decided to help the dragon boy in his fight against the dragon slayers should he be needed. Of course, the fight was on hold when the Black Arms invaded the planet. When the aliens were vanquished and after Sonic was dealing with his own drama, the two went back to work.

"How much farther?" Marshall asked.

"We should be there in about a couple of seconds." Sonic said. Pretty soon, Sonic came to a stop, right before getting onto the street where Jake lived. He then hid behind the first building.

"Wait, why are we stopping?" Marshall asked as he got out of Sonic's backpack.

"Because..." Sonic said as he lifted his hood up over his head, which covered his spikes and shrouded a bit of his face. "Jake's dad is probably home by now."

"And?" Marshall asked.

"Well, he doesn't know about Jake being a dragon." Sonic said. That was true, unfortunately. When Jake's mom Susan married his father Johnathan, the latter never knew the truth about the existence of the magical realm, nor that his son was a magical dragon. And because of that, it has placed a bad strain on their father and son relationship where Jake would be forced to sneak out to help his grandfather, who was more concerned about the safety of the magical realm than his grandson's personal life issues, deal with all the bad stuff and save the magical world stuff, and in the end Jake would come home and suffer a lecture from his father. It got so bad the two hardly talk anymore. But Jake truly wants to tell him the truth about his magical abilities, but his mom always told him to not say anything because she's worried his father wouldn't understand. Wow. Thanks mom.

"How come?" Marshall asked.

"Ask his mom." Sonic said. "She's all worried that he would never understand and all that crap. If you ask me, she's the reason why Jake gets into trouble without having a good explanation."

"Huh, makes sense." Marshall said.

"Ok, listen very carefully Marshall." Sonic said as he knelt down to look straight at the pup. "Since Jake's pop doesn't know about magical creatures, you gotta make sure you don't talk ok? We're just gonna walk right in and ask for Jake, and bring him out. And then-" As Sonic told him what to do, Marshall sniffed for a second, picking up a strange smell, like... something was burning. He then looked behind Sonic and saw a cloud of smoke hovering and moving behind him. He gasped.

"SMOKE!" Marshall shouted.

"Marshall, that's a nasty habit." Sonic said.

"No, I smell something!" Marshall said. "Something's on fire!" The blue hedgehog started to think and turned around, seeing the smoking moving across the street. He and the pup emerged to see what was burning. Sonic's eyes widened up with pure shock.

"Oh no..." Sonic said. The two were staring right at where Jake's house it... and it... was... burning! Literally, it was in flames. The whole apartment was on fire, with several firemen moving towards the scene.

"Jake!" Sonic said as he rushed towards the scene, with Marshall falling suit.

"I guess we're gonna drop the disguise thing, then." The pup said as he and the hedgehog got close enough.

The blue hedgehog rushed into the building, with the pup following inside. They quickly stopped in their tracks, seeing the entire level on fire. The blue hedgehog glanced around, seeing three people on the ground. One was a middle aged man with brown hair and black glasses, wearing a nice brown work short. That was Jake's father Johnathan. Next to him was an older Asian woman with black hair and a red jacket and blue shirt. That was Jake's mom Susan. And the last one on the floor was a young nine year-old girl with her long hair tied in two pony tails, wearing a purple dress like jacket with a white shirt underneath. That was Jake's little sister Haley. The blue hedgehog lifted his head up and saw something keeping the entire ceiling from collapsing on itself. It was a red dragon!

"Jake!" Sonic called out to the dragon as he ran in. Yep, that was definitely Jake.

"Sonic, wait!" Marshall called out. The blue hedgehog kept going, until the entire house around him began to crumble. The dragon keeping the building up, felt the pressure above him pushing him down. He lifted his head up, seeing the blue hedgehog.

"Sonic!" the dragon spoke up.

"Marsh, put the fire out!" Sonic called out.

"Ok!" Marshall spoke as he gave a bark. "Water Cannon!" With the sound of his voice, his pup pack emitted a water cannon. With him being a fire pup, he can use his cannon to fire torrents of water to put fires out. Speaking of which, he went forward to put the fires out, as Sonic rushed to the dragon.

"Jake, you alright?" Sonic asked.

"Does it look like it?!" Jake asked, trying to keep the building up. "Dude, you need to get my family out! Hurry!"

"What about you?!" Sonic asked.

"Just get them out!" Jake said. The blue hedgehog only gave a nod, removing his hood, and rushed up to Haley.

"Haley!" Sonic said, nudging her shoulder and waking her up.

"Wha... what happened?" Haley asked, but then she gasped, seeing flames everywhere. "I didn't do it! Jake Did!"

"Haley, you gotta get out of here!" Sonic said, getting her on her feet. "Get your mom and go! I'll get your dad out! Now Go!"

"Right!" Haley said as she rushed over to Susan, who was just getting up.

"What?" Susan asked as she looked around, seeing her house on fire.

"Mom, we need to go!" Haley said as she helped her up and escorted her out of the house. Sonic looked at Johnathan, Jake's dad. The blue hedgehog approached him just as he was getting up.

"C'mon, we have to go go." Sonic said, getting the older man's attention. Putting his glasses back on, his gasped, seeing an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog before him.

"Wha... what are you?" He asked.

"Sonic the Hedgehog, that's who!" Sonic said as he got him up. "Now get out of here! Go!" Startled, the older man ran out of the house, with Sonic looking back at Jake, who was still struggling to keep the house up. Marshall was still trying to put out the fires but to no prevail. The flames kept spreading.

"Sonic, the flames are too strong!" Marshall said. "We gotta get out of here!"

"Got it!" Sonic said, then turned back to Jake. "Jake, come on!"

"Go, Sonic!" Jake said. "Get out of here!" The blue hedgehog's eyes widened with confusion.

"What?!" Sonic asked. "No, Jake, I can get you out!" He was about to approach the dragon, but then part of the stairs began to break up and block the path between them.

"Just Go, Sonic!" Jake said. "Don't worry about me! Go!" Sonic looked at the exit, and then at Jake. There was nothing he could do for him now. The blue hedgehog cringed his eyes, and then ran out the front door, with Marshall coming out first. The pup turned around to see Sonic rushing out.

"Sonic!" Marshall said, but then the rooms above the house began to spark up, letting out more flames. Sonic jumped out just as the fires burst the entire building, leaping towards his pup and holding on to him tightly as he and Jake's family made it out and dropped to the ground. Sonic turned back at the house, as did Marshall, only to see the entire house collapse from the flames, dropping down onto the ground. There was nothing left but burnt debris and wood, and Jake was no where in side. Perhaps, the building collapsed on top of him, bringing horror to Sonic's face.

"JAKE!" Sonic called out. His voice echoed across the street, but there was no movement, nor response. Sonic only shook his head slowly, and dropped to his knees. His friend was gone! While there was some despair going through his head, rage began to fuel up inside him. Letting it out, the blue hedgehog slammed his hands into the ground.

"Where's Jake?" Johnathan asked as he got up. "Where's my son?" Sonic only shook his head.

"He's gone." Sonic said, his eyes cringing up. Behind him, Haley only looked at the ruined house. Soon, her face began to shed tears but show some anger. And it wasn't because her stuff was gone, it was mostly because her brother was dead...

"They're gonna pay for this!" She shouted as she ran down the street, with Sonic looking down, seeing the little girl go.

"Wait!" Marshall called out as he ran after the girl. "You might need medical attent-"

"Dragon UP!" The girl shouted as she jumped, surrounded by blue purplish energy, sending a wave that made Marshall stop. As he came to a halt, he saw before him a pink scaley dragon with claws and wings, but she had Haley's hair. The pup nearly yelped.

"Whoa!" He said. "A dragon!" The dragon girl flew off into the air and down the street, with Sonic getting up and was about to go after her.

"Haley, Wait!" Sonic called out, but the girl already disappeared as she turned left down the street, leaving the blue hedgehog and Dalmatian pup behind. The blue hedgehog only sighed. But then he turned around, to see Johnathan standing there, looking up at the sky to where his daughter went. There was shock and confusion all over his face.

"That was a dragon..." He said, pointing forward. "My daughter just turned into a fire breathing dragon?!" Seeing him in this confused state, Sonic only shook his head. At this point, the blue blur has had it leaving him in the dark for too long. He gave a deep sigh and looked at Susan, who was a bit shocked too.

"Ok, if you're not gonna tell him the truth, then I will." Sonic said.

"NO!" Susan shouted.

"Wh... tell me what?" Johnathan asked, and the blue hedgehog spoke, pulling him to the side.

"Your son, Jake, is a dragon." Sonic said.

"A... What?!" Johnathan asked confused as Susan began to freak out.

"Yeah, he's a freakin' dragon, that's what." Sonic said. "He's the American Dragon, so to speak. And yes, your daughter is a dragon too. Your father-in-law, he's a dragon too. Your wife, isn't. Jake's been out saving the world from the Huntsclan and various other demonic creatures, which is the reason why he's been out so freaking late, which, by the way, isn't his fault because he's a good kid. I personally blame his grandfather who doesn't give a flying_ fuck_ about his own personal life and feelings." Marshall covered his mouth.

"Sonic!" Marshall said out loud. "You said the F word!" Susan and Johnathan stared at the pup, with the latter still in shock.

"Did he just... and is he wearing a... fire hat?" Johnathan asked, with the fire pup giving a nervous smile.

"Yes, he's a talking dog, and yes, he's dressed like a fireman." Sonic said, pointing to Marshall said. "Anyway, what just happened with the house burning, that was the Huntsclan, and they're about to do something pretty drastic that will wipe out half the universe." The blue hedgehog snapped his fingers. "Just like that. So yes, that is the grand adventure of your son Jake Luke Long, who, by the way, is a very great kid. And you sir, I'm about ready to break your damn glasses, should I ever hear you yelling at him again. Now I'm finished." Johnathan just stood there, utterly shocked, and a bit scared for his life. He then turned to Susan, who stood there in the same expression.

"Aaaand you're welcome." Sonic said. "By the way, next time you have family secrets, share them, regardless." He then picked Marshall up, who almost yelped a bit.

"Now if you excuse me, I got some Huntsmen to take down." Sonic said, and he, with Marshall in his arms, took off down the way they came. But then he came back and went down the other way.

"Haley went this way, sorry." Sonic said as he went down the direction Haley went, going straight and turning right, leaving Susan and Johnathan standing there, with the latter staring at his wife confused.

"Um... is there anything else?" He asked, while Susan only smiled nervously.

* * *

Pretty soon, Sonic and Marshall, hanging on for life, was down the street Haley went. But then suddenly, Sonic turned right to the alleyway that was between Jake's house and the other buildings.

"Sonic, wait, didn't Jake's sister went that way?" Marshall asked.

"Yes." Sonic said as he came to a stop and dropped the pup to his feet. "I just need a minute to think."

"Sonic, that was pretty rash, don't you think?" Marshall asked.

"I know, Marshall." Sonic said as he rubbed his forehead. "I'm sorry, I'm just." Before he could answer, Sonic only moved towards the trash can and kicked it over. The sudden action surprised the Dalmatian pup.

"Whoa, Sonic just calm down." Marshall said. He's never seen Sonic this stressed before. Come to think of it, he's been like this in the past couple months. Was it from the Black Arms invasion months ago? He was acting a little bit like... Shadow. The black hedgehog with red arrows on his spikes, and has the same abilities as Sonic. But he harbors a more edgier and darker personality. Of course, that wasn't his fault. It's a long, long story. The blue hedgehog only gave a heavy sigh.

"I'm sorry, Marsh." Sonic said as he shook his head. "A lot is just happening so fast. First I couldn't save the king, and now Jake..." He only glanced back at what was left of his friend's house, burnt down and crumbled up, with nothing but part of the wall, and a large hole through it. He only lowered his head, looking down at his hands.

"God, I think I've been around Shadow too much." Sonic said.

"Who?" Marshall asked.

"Just... someone who looks likes me." Sonic said.

_-CRACKLE- -COUGH-_

The faint sound made the hedgehog lift his ears up, and the pup did the same thing. Turning back at the rubble, they noticed something coming out of the hole behind the house. Emerging from it was an Asian teenager with jet black semi-long spikey hair with green highlights at the top. He wore a red long sleeved jacket with yellow patches on each sleeve, blue cargo shorts, and grey shoes. It was Jake... Jake Long! A bit dusty, but alive! The blue hedgehog smiled.

"Jake!" Sonic cheered, seeing the boy in one piece.

"Well, that went sorta well." He said, before being hugged by the blue hedgehog.

"You're alright!" Sonic said, nuzzling the kid with his head.

"Dude, you were worried about me?" Jake asked.

"Well, what did you expect?" Sonic said as he let him go. "I saw the whole building crumble down on you! I actually thought you were a goner."

"Aww, c'mon man." Jake said. "You know it takes more than a crumbling building to take me out. I'm the mack daddy dragon of the NYC." Sonic gave a laugh.

"True that." Sonic said as he gave his friend a fist bump, with Marshall approaching the two.

"So you must be Jake." Marshall said. "Nice to meet you." The Asian skateboarder stared at the Dalmatian pup with surprise.

"You talk?" Jake asked. "Are you a magical talking dog like Fu?"

"No, he talks without magic, along with the other pups." Sonic said.

"Yep." Marshall said. "I'm not a magical dog, I'm just a fire pup. Fire Pup Marshall of the PAW Patrol at your service!" He gave a salute.

"An honor." Jake said with a salute too.

"He... kinda knows about the magical realm and everything." Sonic said. "Sorry."

"No worries, men." Jake said. "Anyone you can trust, I can trust too." The blue hedgehog gave a smile. His attention was then turned towards Jake's house... what's left of it at least.

"Wow... what a mess." Sonic said.

"Tell me about it." Jake said.

"So... who caused it?" Sonic asked.

"I can give you a hint." Jake said. "They're bad, they're after me, and my girlfriend is one of them."

"Huntsmen." Sonic said, shaking his head.

"What else." Jake said.

"We just saw Huntsface back at the Conference Building earlier today." Sonic said. "He was after one of the Aztec Skulls that was hidden in a vault inside the building."

"So, wait." Jake began. "There was a skull gem up at City Hall?"

"Yeah... and he attacked the king." Sonic said, his head lowered, his hand gripping tightly. "That skull face attacked Sal's father."

"Is he ok?" Jake asked.

"Dunno." Sonic said. "He passed out in my arms... Doctors aren't sure if he's gonna be ok. Those huntsclan bastards... they're gonna pay for what they've done." The blue hedgehog lifting his fist up, showing that he was serious.

"SONIC!" a voice called out. The group turned their head to see a two-tailed fox flying overhead, and dropping himself to the ground.

"Tails!" Sonic said with a smile.

"Hey, Sonic-" Tails said, but then he let out a moan and dropped to his knees, his hand clutching his stomach.

"Tails!" Sonic spoke as he rushed toward the fox. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah... just a stomach cramp." Tails said. "Had a chili dog before rushing over here."

"Tails, you can't just get up and run after you eat." Marshall said as he walked up to the pup. "You need to let your food digest for about twenty minutes."

"I know... but I was hungry..." He said as he rolled on his back, but his head turned to see Jake's house all in ruins.

"Whoa... what happened here?" Tails asked.

"The Huntsmen." Jake said. "They attacked without warning and they tried to kill me and my family. It was a good thing you showed up Sonic. We would've been dead within seconds."

"Your parents think that you're dead, though." Sonic said.

"To be honest, it's best that they think that way." Jake said. "Besides, Mom still doesn't want my dad to know that we're magical dragons." The blue hedgehog cringed and smiled nervously.

"Uh... yeah, about that." Sonic said. "I uh... I told him about the dragon thing." Jake's eyes widened up.

"WHAT?!" He asked, before Sonic covered his mouth.

"Quiet, we'll wake everyone up." Sonic said, with the boy looking around, seeing no one in sight. As Sonic let go, Jake cleared his voice.

"So wait, you told him?!" Jake asked.

"Yeah." Sonic said. "Before you jump on me, in my defense, Haley lost her cool when she saw the building crumble on top of you. She turned into a dragon in front of her dad and flew off to get payback. Plus, your mom wasn't saying anything, you wanted to tell him the whole time, so I did you a favor. Everyone wins." the boy stared at the hedgehog with disbelief. He then face palmed himself and sighed.

"This day is not going well for me at all." Jake said.

"Tell me about it." Sonic said.

"So, Haley's already went off?" Jake asked. "She could be in danger!"

"I'm sure she's already letting Miss Park know." Sonic said, referring to Haley's teacher.

"But the Huntsclan are pretty dangerous though." Tails said. "Two dragons aren't gonna be enough to stop them." Marshall began to think.

"I do remember the Huntsman saying something when I was eavesdropping on him." Marshall said. "They said that they're heading to the sacred place. But we don't know where this sacred place is."

"Well, luckily for us, I figured it out on my own." Tails said as he brought up his Miles Electric PAD, a rectangular device with two glowing antennas on top and a touchscreen. It's a multi-functional electronic handheld device, capable for video communication, radar operations for detecting hostile targets, being a control panel for an air plane, object scanning and analyzing, even alien translation. It's like a phone, but bigger and higher functional.

"After we secured one of the Aztec Skulls a month ago, I've done an analysis on the object and the only way their power is harnessed if they're placed in ancient gothic architectural statues, where the twelve ones must be placed in each slot and the last one held in one hand and-" As Tails continued his speech, Sonic, Jake, and Marshall tilted their heads a bit in confusion.

"Uhhh… what?" Sonic asked, with the two-tailed fox giving a sigh.

"We need to find a building that has twelve gargoyles on them." Tails said.

"Ooooh, that makes more sense." Sonic said. Jake started thinking and then he remembered.

"Wait, I remember these twelve gargoyles out at one of the buildings a while back." Jake said. "It's located right near the church in the middle of Manhatten."

"Nice!" Sonic said.

"If the Huntsman are gonna do their little battle, might as well make it our final battle." Jake said. "I'll head to gramp's place to get the rest of the skulls, then I'll contact Rose and-"

"That won't work." Sonic said, getting his attention, as well as Tails and Marshall's.

"Huh?" Jake asked.

"We went to your grandpa's house to get the Skull Gems, but we were too late." Sonic said. "The Huntsmen ransacked the whole place. They took the skull gems."

"W... What?" Jake asked. "Is Gramps alright?"

"Yeah, Fu's looking after him right now... and... well..." Sonic said, but then he looked away, showing that there was something else that the dragon boy didn't know about.

"Sonic?" Jake asked. The blue hedgehog sighed, knowing that Jake wasn't gonna like this at all.

"Jake, we caught the whole raid on camera." Sonic said, as he pulled out a video player. "And... well... you should see it yourself." He gave the video to Jake, who then took a look at it. He watched it, and suddenly, his eyes widened up, with shock... and sadness.

"It can't be..." He said. "It can't be... Rose?" Hearing that name made Tails's ears perk up.

"Rose?" Tails asked. "Jake's girlfriend Rose?" Sonic and Marshall only gave a nod. Jake gave a sigh and closed the video camera. This doesn't make sense. Why would she betray him like this? There had to be an explanation.

"I can't watch anymore." He said, feeling hurt. Sonic knew the boy's heart was shattered.

"We think the Huntsman's blackmailing her." Sonic said. "He found out that she was helping us, and he's told he that he'll return her to her parents if she helps steal the skull gems and bring annihilation upon the Magical Realm."

"But he's not keeping that promise." Marshall said. "He's gonna kill her instead."

"That's horrible." Tails said. The boy only stood there, in silence. Sonic tilted his head, waiting for Jake to say something. And he did.

"Dragon UP!" He called out, and suddenly, his entire body was surrounded by red flames and a bright blue aura. As the flames dispersed and the aura faded, there standing in Jake's place, was a red scaly dragon, tall and a bit muscular, a yellow underbelly, dragon wings, green spikes going down from his back to his tail, but he also retained the jet spikey hair with green highlights. This was Jake, in his American Dragon form.

"Whoa!" Marshall said. This was actually his first time seeing someone transform into a dragon. Actually it was the second time counting Haley, but she didn't do in a cool way as Jake did. Honest to god, Marshall was actually expecting a more painful transformation though.

"Jake?" Sonic asked, with the dragon turning back to see him.

"Sonic, you've been such good help, but I need to do this alone." He said.

"What?" Sonic asked.

"I have to finish this myself, this is between me and Rose now..." Jake said, but gave a smile. "Take care Sonic. Thanks for everything." Then, taking flight, the dragon flew up into the sky and took off, while the blue blur and his friends watched.

"So what do we do now?" Marshall asked. Sonic glanced straight forward, reminiscing the time he first met Jake, when he was captured by the huntsclan and the two, along with several other magical creatures were going to be slain. Luckily, the two were able to work together and train the captured beings to fight off the huntsclan. Since then, Sonic has helped Jake in his fight against the dragon slayers whenever he was available. Coming back from his recollection, the blue blur stared up at the sky.

"We have to help him." Sonic said.

"But Sonic, Jake said he wants to do this alone." Tails said.

"True, but this isn't just his fight." Sonic said "It's my fight too. I got into this battle when the huntsclan captured me, so I'm going to help Jake end it once and for all. Besides, the Huntsfreaks attacked the king, and they nearly killed Sally. It's time we show them what happens when they mess with us." Tails couldn't help but sigh hearing that.

"Well, if you're going, then so am I." Tails said.

"Me too." Marshall said. "I'm ready for a ruff-ruff rescue!"

"We're helping too!" A voice called out from behind the two. Turning around, they saw a certain pink hedgehog and a red echidna cracking his knuckles. It was Amy, Knuckles, and Cream and Cheese was there too..

"What are you guys doing here?" Sonic asked.

"What else?" Amy asked, holding her Piko Piko Hammer. "I'm tagging along. Besides, you guys could use a little extra fab by your side."

"And I'm ready to crush some huntboy skulls." Knuckles said. "Besides, you won't last a second without me."

"I'll help too." Cream said. "You'll need all the support you'll need!"

"Chao!" Cheese spoke with a smile. Seeing his friends from home ready to get into action brought a smile to Sonic's face.

"Alright." He said as he turned around. He then reached into his backpack and pulled out a couple of strange bracers. The bracers looked like they were made in either the Third Crusades or during the Renaissance. He placed the bracers on, and looked up at the sky.

"We work in the dark to serve the light." Sonic said, before opening his eyes, filled with determination. "Let's do it to it."

"Yeah!" The group cheered, and they were off to help their friends, completely unaware of CJ Miyamoto watching from the rooftops.

"Chase, I found him." CJ said. "He's heading off to help his dragon friend."

"It looks like the Huntsclan are going to start their ritual." Chase said. "If they succeed, about half the entire population of the world will be erased."

"Don't worry, I'm on it." CJ said, reaching into his belt pocket, and pulled out a card. He then placed the card into his belt buckle, and clicked it, making the orb glow.

"Samurai Storm!" CJ said. "_HENSION_!" He then formed a pose, with his entire body glowing and flashed.

* * *

There was something strange going on in the sky, as there were minor flashes going on in the clouds. It was thunder, but there was no rain. Storms that have lightning but no rain is usually called a dry thunder storm, which means there's no rain, but there is thunder. It rarely happens depending on where you live. But this is usually the sign of something epic of bad about to happen. On top of one of the buildings, there was some weird energy being harnessed at one of the tall buildings near the church. Pretty soon, Sonic's group made their way towards it to see the flashes on top of the building.

"Huh, is this the place Tails was talking about?" Knuckles asked.

"From the weird blue light show going on up there, yeah, this is the place." Sonic said.

"It looks like they're setting up the ritual!" Tails said. "We better reach the top fast!"

"Right!" Amy said as Cream and Cheese gave a nod.

"Alright." Sonic said. "Tails, you, me, and Knuckles are gonna fly up there. Girls, you take the elevator."

"Wait, why do we have to take the elevator?" Amy asked.

"Because... chivalry?" Sonic said. The Pink hedgehog gave a sigh.

"Fine, but only because Cream is here." Amy said as she, Cream and Cheese went toward the building doors.

"Be careful Mr. Sonic!" Cream called out as they went inside.

"What about me, Sonic?" Marshall asked.

"Well, duh, hop in." Sonic said, pointing to his backpack. A bit confused, the Dalmatian jumped into the hedgehog's backpack.

"You ready Tails?" Sonic asked.

"Leave it to me!" The two-tailed fox said as his tails began to spin, allowing him to fly up into the air. He then took Sonic's hand and lifted him up.

"Wait, why do I have to be on the bottom?" Knuckles asked.

"So you can get the first hit." Sonic answered.

"Oh, nice!" Knuckles said as he clung onto Sonic's hand. With all his might, Tails lifted the blue hedgehog and red echidna into the air, pulling them up as he flew up to the building. Marshall looked down from Sonic's backpack with surprise.

"Whoa!" Marshall said, feeling a little anxious. The Dalmatian pup isn't a big fan of heights, especially flying, whether it being with a jetpack or hanging from a harness attached to Skye's helicopter.

"Are we really doing this?!" He asked.

"Yeah!" Sonic said. They were almost halfway up the building, but the two-tailed fox began to feel a bitter tired. Sure, he can fly and carry people at the same time, but there's always a limit to how long he can hold up.

"Guys, I think I need a breather real quick." He said.

"Aw, c'mon!" Knuckles said. "We're almost there."

"Halfway there, actually." Sonic said.

"Yeah, but still." Knuckles said.

"Well... I can't fly for much longer." Tails said, already sweating up.

"And this is why you need to lay off the food once and a while." Knuckles said.

"Knuckles, shut up." Sonic said. Before they could get into another argument, a massive vehicle began to fly above and towards the group. It was a helicopter! A purple and green helicopter!"

"Look Out!" Marshall shouted.

"WHOA!" Tails shouted as he turned to his right, with Sonic and Knuckles holding on for dear life as they barely dodged the helicopter. The group quickly made their landing towards the building next to the one they were flying up. Luckily, it was a nice wide building there, almost half the height of their destination. They made a safe landing while Tails fell onto his back, panting.

"Tails, are you ok?" Sonic asked.

"Yeah." The fox said as he continued to pant. "I need something to eat, though."

"Dude, how could you be hungry at a time like this?!" Knuckles asked. Before any more could be said, they heard blades twirling behind them. Turning around, they saw the helicopter turning to it's side, revealing a red symbol on it's door, which was a circle with it's top and bottom part almost erased. That was the symbol of the Huntsclan!

"Uh, oh!" Marshall said as he jumped out of Sonic's backpack. "It's the Huntsclan!"

"Why do they always have a helicopter?" Sonic asked. Pretty soon, the doors of the chopper opened up.

"Stay right where you are!" A voice called out from inside, revealing a slender but muscular man wearing armored metal, and dark short hair. He was Huntsman #21, one of the youngest, but menacing commanders of the Huntsclan. Unlike most of his huntsmen colleagues, he didn't have a hood or mask. He'd rather have his victims see his face when he kills them.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the legendary Sonic the Hedgehog." #21 said. "I see that you survived our little show back at the City Hall. Well, you won't survive against what I have in store." He then jumped back a bit and into a strange machine that was inside the copter. Suddenly, it slid out, and the machine began to transform, revealing metal arms, metal legs, as well as a blade in it's right hand, and shield in another hand, revealing it to be a small, but tall battle mech.

"Behold, the glorious HunterX MK XXI!" #21 shouted.

**_HUNTERX MK XXI / ハンターXマルクXXI_**

"Wow, that's a pretty lame name." Sonic said as Tails and Marshall gave a chuckle.

"Silence!" #21 shouted. "It's time that your legend came to an end, rodent!" The Mech extended it's blade and shield, ready to fight.

"Ok." Sonic said as he cracked his fingers. "Let's do this." He then started running, making his way towards the robot with a smile. The robot swung down, bringing it's sword upon the hedgehog. But Sonic jumped right, dodging the attack, and then ran up on the sword, and performed his homing attack, bashing into the center of the robot, almost making it stagger. As Sonic zoomed in for another homing strike, the mech raised it's shield, blocking the attack, and thrusting Sonic up into the sky.

"Deviant Rat!" #21 shouted as he lowered the mech, revealing rocket launchers on it's back. He then fired multiple rockets at the blue hedgehog, who quickly leaped onto the first one, than the next one, than the next, while taunting the Hunts commander with faces and a booty smack. With a wink, Sonic jumped off the last rocket, as it and the other ones after it exploded in the air, with Sonic performing a spin attack, drilling against the mech, making it fall onto the ground.

"hahaha-Ahaha!" Sonic laughed in a taunting way, while the mech quickly got back up.

"You little rodent!" #21 shouted as he swung his sword, sending out an electrical shockwave which hit the blue hedgehog, electrocuting him and sending him across the floor.

"Sonic!" Tails shouted as the mech approached the hedgehog, who was still under the effects of the electrocution.

"What joy it will bring the Huntsmaster when he learns that I've finally silenced the great Sonic the Hedgehog!" #21 spoke as he brought swung his sword. But then suddenly, the sword was stopped before it could hit the blue hedgehog! Looking up, Sonic saw Knuckles, keeping the sword at bay with his strong hands.

"What are you doing?" Sonic asked.

"Helping you, that's what!" Knuckles said as he kept pushing the blade, throwing it up and making the mech tumble. With the opportunity at hand, the echidna rushed up and started punching the mech with his spiked knuckles, bashing and cracking the cockpit's glass dome.

"Get off you extinct ant eater!" #21 shouted as he threw his shield out and pushed the echidna away, sending him into the pile of crates behind Sonic.

"I'm ok." Knuckles said as Sonic gave a heavy sigh.

"Now, to finish you off." #21 hissed as he approached the hedgehog once more, but this time, Tails and Marshall stood between the mech and Sonic.

"Stay back!" Tails said.

"Yeah, don't make me use this!" Marshall said as he gave a bark, with his water cannon erecting from his pup pack.

"Ha!" #21 spoke with an evil smile. "You two think you can defeat me?! I am bigger than you! I am stronger than you!" He then raised his sword up, ready to swing. Marshall stood his ground, but closed his eyes, while Tails only looked up with fear. The mech swung it down.

But then... a bright light twinkled in the distance, and zoomed up towards the mech.

_-BOOM!-_

The mighty blast pushed the mech away from the Dalmatian and two-tailed fox, with #21 screaming at the top of his lungs as the robot landed on it's back. Tails and Marshall opened their eyes, and gave coughs from the dust that was present. Sonic lifted his head up, seeing the mech down. He then looked at Marshall.

"Whoa... good shot." Sonic said.

"That wasn't me." Marshall said, and he, Sonic and Tails looked forward to see what the blast was. The mech lifted up slightly, and from his cockpit, #21 looked with a confused look. The dust was beginning to settle, and to his surprise, he saw before him... a strange looking figure. The figure was indeed wearing a suit, but far different then the others. It was a black suit, but it had white futuristic armor plates on it. It had a sym-bionic chest plate with a red orb in the middle. He wore white gauntlets and boots. His helmet had a V shaped antennae on the front, with two yellow lines on the edge of each side. His circular visors were yellow, and he wore a long red scarf around his neck.

Not much to explain, for it was Captain Japan! And he has arrived once again to save the day!

"Whoa..." Marshall said as Sonic got up to his feet, him and Tails, and of course Knuckles, who got out of the rubble looked with surprised faces, to see the mysterious masked warrior, who protected them and stopped the mech.

"Wha... What the hell is this?!" #21 asked. "Who are you?!"

"Japan..." The masked rider spoke. "Captain Japan."

"Who is... that?" Tails asked.

"I think it's one of those Kamen Rider dudes from the Japanese live action shows, or something like that." Sonic said.

"Alright big mech." CJ said to #21. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?"

"I would, but there's only you and those pesky rodents." #21 said. "So, you all will have to do."

"Ok, Plan B." CJ said, summoning an input card. He then placed it into the J.A.P.A.N. Unit buckle, and it lit up.

_Installing Ninja Card - NINJA MODE!_

With a mighty flash, CJ's armor transformed as he made a battle pose, with his scarf now thicker reaching his chin, additional shoulder plates were added, and the left side of his chest plate turned black.

"Ninja Mode!" CJ spoke as he summoned two twin-Shadow Tanto blade swords and charged forward with faster agility. He leaped up and swung both blades on the mech's cockpit, shattering the glass dome that surrounded it before leaping into the air.

"How dare you!" #21 shouted as he fired his rockets, aimed directly at CJ. CJ however spun around and threw multiple ninja stars at each rocket, making them explode upon impact.

"Now check this out." CJ said as he landed on the ground and then suddenly, seven copies of himself emerged from him and surrounded the mech, revealing to be shadow clones which can easily confuse an opponent.

"What?!" #21 asked.

"Which one of us is the real one?" All eight copies of CJ asked. #21 began to worry as he swung his sword on the one he was facing, but it disappeared as the sword made contact.

"Nope." CJ said. #21 swung his shield to attack the other copies on the right.

"Uh uh." CJ said. #21 growled as he smashed the ones of his left.

"Only two left." CJ said, with two more copies standing behind him with a sneaky wave. They both charged forward to attack. With one last resort, #21 swung his sword once more, striking the on his right. An explosion came from no where, but nothing blasted the mech away.

"Got Him!" #21 shouted, until he saw the CJ on the left.

"Wrong one." He said, with the Hunts Commander gasped in shock.

"Now... SHADOW SHURIKEN!" The masked rider called, summoning a massive Ninja Star, and hurled it around the mech, slicing off the sword, the shield, and one of it's legs, critically damaging the HunterX MK XXI.

"No!" #21 shouted. "This can't be! Hunt Squadron! Help me!" The helicopter flew up over them, with it's doors opening, revealing more members of the Huntsclan.

"You heard him!" The one on the front shouted. "Let's mov-"

_-BUNK! CLANG!-_

The entire chopper they were in suddenly violently shifted downward, as if something jumped onto it. Turning to the other side, they saw the door ripping open, revealing a massive humanoid robot made out of junk contraptions! It was banging on the side of the helicopter, banging it up, while grabbing one of the Hunts soldiers and throwing him outwards, sending him screaming to his death.

"Wait... is that...?" Sonic asked, seeing the strange robot ripping the helicopter apart, while the Hunts soldiers were screaming and panicking at what was going on. Pretty soon, the robot crushed the chopper's tail and then lept off, leaving the Huntsclan Chopper to go out of control and fall down the many stories from the height of the building until it exploded as it hit the ground, killing everyone inside it.

Back inside the building where the ritual was taking place, getting off the elevator, Amy gave a sigh as she, Cream, and Cheese were coming out, with another elevator in front of them.

"I cannot believe this building's elevator doesn't go all the way to the top." The pink hedgehog said.

"At least we have another elevator here." Cream said.

"I guess you're right about that." Amy said, but then her attention was drawn to the massive window before them. Looking outside, they saw the fight taking place on the next building, and she could see Sonic and the others, with a masked rider taking down the big mech in front of them. The pink hedgehog gasped, but then growled.

"Oh sure, they leave us out of the action." Amy said. Suddenly, the doors on their right slammed open, revealing none other than #88 and #89 coming inside, panting.

"Dang, how come we have to take the stairs!" #88 asked.

"It's not my fault that we're late to the show!" #89 said. Amy and Cream saw the two Huntsboys. The pink hedgehog and peach rabbit looked at each other. Amy gave a little smile and pulled out her hammer. She approached the two.

"Excuse me, gentlemen." She said, with the Huntsboys looking at her, and Cream gave a wave from behind, as did Cheese.

"AHHHH!" The two shouted. "More Talking Animals!"

"So it's not just dogs." #88 said.

"Dude, that pink one let herself go, don'tcha think?" #89 asked, while Amy gave a grin and growl.

"Oh, you shouldn't have said that." Amy said. "Because you just got a date with my Piko Piko Hammer!" She raised it up and swung it hard, making the two Huntsboy jump. The two began to scream as they ran for it, while she chased after them and kept bashing them on the head with her hammer, while Cream and Cheese only watched.

"Didn't Amy say that she's proud of her weight earlier?" Cream asked, while Cheese only gave a defeated sigh.

Back outside, after the chopper blew up, #21 looked around, seeing no one coming to his aid.

"No! No! This cannot be!" He shouted, only to be met with a hit by CJ's Shadow-Shuriken, making him tip over. Seeing the mech powerless to fight back, it was now Sonic's chance to strike.

"Tails, lift me up!" Sonic called out.

"Got it!" Tails said as he flew up and picked up Sonic. With a mighty swing, he threw Sonic forward, who spun into a spinning ball, performing his iconic spin dash and dash through the mech, busting through it.

"NOOOO!" #21 shouted.

"Yo, Masked Boy!" Sonic called out. "He's all yours!"

"You got it!" CJ said as he raised his two Shadow-Tanto blades in the air. "_KANTANA-RAPPA NINJA SHADOW STRIKE!_" He then lunged forward and sliced through the mech, making it spark and explode, while #21 began to scream in defeat, and the robot blew into pieces.

"And he's out." CJ said, spinning his tanto blades, with Tails, Knuckles, and Marshall giving cheers.

"Thanks, kid." Sonic said.

"No problem." CJ said. The two then turned back to what was left of the robot, seeing #21 getting himself out of the destroyed cockpit, covered in soot and dirt, giving a moan and growl of defeat. The man gave a cold glare to the blue hedgehog and masked rider.

"This is not over!" #21 shouted. "You think this is over?!" Then suddenly, a huge shadow appeared behind him, revealing to be the strange humanoid robot that destroyed the copter.

"あなたを殺す / Anata o Korosu." The robot said, then with a might bash, the robot punched #21 in the face. Hard. Sending him into the building wall, making it crumble. #21 only laid there, in pure shock, and in so much pain. Looking back up, the robot approached him, and picked him back up, slamming him on the floor countless times, like the Incredible Hulk slamming Loki down many times in the Avengers movie. Sonic then glanced at the ground, seeing one of the Huntsclan staves on the ground. Sonic remembered that some of the staves can open portals to another dimension, and the blue hedgehog had a good idea where to send #21. The blue blur rushed over and picked up the staff. He clicked one of the buttons, making it glow. He then swung it in a circle, opening a portal to the dimension he specified. He looked over and called out.

"Hey Dog!" Sonic called out. "Throw him in here!" The robot, named Dog gave a nod and moved towards the portal, and threw the screaming #21 inside. As the Huntsmen commander got to his feet, he saw the portal closing.

"NO!" He shouted as he tried to make it out. Sonic then made a taunting face.

"Bye bye!" Sonic said, waving goodbye as the portal sealed up completely, leaving #21 inside.

"NOOO!" #21 shouted. "I was so close!"

_-GROWL-_

Then suddenly #21 heard a strange growling, unaware of two glowing eyes opening up behind him. He slowly turned around, and saw a huge creature with long thick tentacles, and a huge crow-like mouth opening up. It was a kracken.

"AAAHHHH-!" #21 shouted as it lunged itself at him, following by a few screams of agony, and a loud burp.

Back in the city, Sonic twirled the staff behind him.

"Piece of cake." Sonic said. "No sweat." Tails, Marshall, and Knuckles gave a cheer of victory, glad that the Hunts commander was finished for good. The blue hedgehog then looked at the debris that was left from the robot. Then he turned to see the robot, Dog.

"Hey, Dog." Sonic said. "Good to see you again." The robot looked down at him and gave a nod, before lowering it's head and nuzzled the blue hedgehog.

"Sounds like you missed me a lot." Sonic said. "Hey, is Alyx here? Did she bring you?" Dog then turned his head and pointed forward, straight at Captain Japan, who approached the hedgehog.

"Actually, he came with me." CJ responded. "But don't worry, Miss Vance will be here soon." The blue hedgehog tilted his head. Why did he sound a bit familiar.

"I see." Sonic said. "Say, have we met before?"

"Sonic!" Tails shouted, getting the blue hedgehog's attention. He saw the two-tailed fox pointing forward at the building, where the crazy light show was going on. The blue hedgehog then remembered. Jake was up there!

"Oh, right!" Sonic said. "Sorry sir, but we're gonna have to chat some other time. A friend needs me real quick. See ya soon!" The blue hedgehog then took off, with Tails, Knuckles, and Marshall following him, as CJ and Dog looked on. They looked up and saw the strange lights going on up on top of the building too. He then activated his wrist-com.

"Chase, there's activity going on near my location." CJ said. "Bring the cavalry. It's time for a big fight."

"You got it!" Chase said over the com.

* * *

Fighting, was all that Jake was doing. His wings were spread out as he blocked an incoming strike from a staff, swung by a teenage blonde hair girl with beautiful blue eyes, wearing a purple ninja-like battle suit. Yes, this was Rose, Jake's dearly beloved. Well, might as well be his ex now if she kills him. The two have a unique romantic history with each other, which involved them being junior high sweethearts while secretly and unknowingly trying to kill each other since they didn't know their secret lives as the American Dragon and the Huntsgirl. But after being captured with Sonic and the girl was about to kill him, he actually turned back into human to convince her not to slay him, and she let him go.

Since then, the girl had been secretly helping the dragon boy in his fight against the Huntsclan. But now that the Huntsman knows of her betrayal, he has blackmailed her into defeating the American Dragon with a promise to return her to her parents, where she was taken by them from her master because she bared the mark of the Huntsclan. It's a sad story indeed. He pushed back, but the girl swung again.

"Rose, you don't have to do this!" Jake shouted as he dodged another attack.

"All I wanted was a normal life, but the Huntsclan took it away from me!" Rose shouted as she aimed her staff, and fired an electric green energy beam to shoot the dragon. The dragon flew up and swung his claws, but the girl managed to deflect the attacks, while also bringing a couple more swings of her own.

"Rose, listen to me!" Jake said. "This isn't the way to do it, and you know it!"

"I'm sorry, but there's only one way to end this, Jake!" Rose said as she pulled out a chain from her braided hair, allowing it to flow down. She swung the chains hard and managed to wrap them around Jake's hands, legs, wings, and body, and slammed him into the ground, allowing one of the Aztec Skulls, the Master Skull with the green gem eyes, which he must've taken during the fight, drop to the ground. He gave a weak moan, and looked around him, seeing Haley and Sun Park, the light blue dragon with the long black hair, pinned by the Huntsoldiers. He couldn't help but lower his head to the ground. It was over, he thought.

"Man, I wish Sonic was here, right now." He said to himself. The girl only glanced down at him while picking up the skull. She won. But deep down, she felt sad, and ashamed. She was willing to betray the boy who was willing to give up everything for her just to see her family again? Approaching her from behind, was her master, the Huntsman, who was very pleased.

"Well done, Huntsgirl." He said. "I suppose I trained you well after all." She then turned and handed him the Master Skull.

"Alright, I've done as you asked." Rose said. "Now you'll keep your promise and return me home to my parents?"

"Yes, Huntsgirl, I shall." The Huntsman said as he turned around. "But first, you must kill your little dragon mate." The girl's eyes widened with shock. He was asking her to kill Jake? That was not part of the deal!

"What?!" Rose asked. "Hold on a second! I gave you the Aztec Skulls, and I captured the American Dragon. You said that-"

"YOU swore to serve me." The Hunstmaster spoke. "And you betrayed me. If you ever want to see your parents again, you will kill the American Dragon." The girl froze, and her eyes widened a bit. She looked back at Jake, all tied up and defenseless. She had to kill him if she wanted to see her parents again. What choice did she have. She lowered her head, and gripped her staff, approaching the dragon.

"Rose!" Jake said. "Don't do this!"

"I don't have a choice, Jake." Rose said.

"What are you talking about?" Jake asked. "You do have a choice! You chose to help the Huntsclan, you chose to betray us! You've always had a choice, Rose! Just like you have a choice now!"

"You don't get it, Jake." Rose said. "If I don't do this, the Huntsclan will kill my parents... I... I don't want to kill you, but I don't have a choice."

"Rose, Stop!" The girl turned her head, seeing Sonic, Tails, Marshall, and Knuckles, coming from the side of the building, while Amy and Cream with Cheese in her arms, emerged from the elevator, ready to fight.

"Please, Stop!" Tails called out. "Don't do this!"

"Or it'll be the last thing you do!" Amy shouted, gripping her hammer.

"Fools!" the Huntsman said. "You're all too late. Now, Huntsgirl, finish him off!"

"Don't do it, Rosie!" Knuckles said. "Don't Do It!"

"Please Miss Rose!" Cream called out. "Please!"

"Huntsgirl, kill the dragon." The Huntsman said. Rose glanced back at her master, and then back at the dragon before her.

"Rose, don't do this!" Sonic called out as he started to approach her.

"Stay back!" Rose said, pointing her staff at the group. "I... I have to do this!"

"No you don't... please!" Tails called out.

"I know how much you want to see your family again, but this is not the way!" Sonic said. "And besides, if you do this, the Huntsman will end up betraying you! They're just using you!"

"He's right!" The blue hedgehog turned his head to see Marshall stepping forward. "The Huntsclan plan to kill you after he's done." The girl's raised an eyebrow in confusion. Her master was going to kill her after she kills Jake?

"What?" Rose asked. "How do you even know that?"

"Here, I'll show you!" Marshall said, and then gave a bark. "Video Camera!" The pup's puppack then emitted a video camera.

"Play Video!" The dalmation called out, and the video began to show a video on the ground in front of them, large enough to see. What they were seeing... was a video of Marshall dancing in the nude, next to a pole.

_"Do the pup pup boogie... shimmy grove it... show me what you got that pup pup stuff!"_ The video of Marshall played as he was dancing and thrusting against the pole, as confused faces came from Jake, Rose, the Huntsman, and some of his men. Marshall froze in place, his face giving a strong blush of embarrassment. That video was suppose to be private! He probably forgot to delete it a while back.

"Uhhh... Marshall?" Sonic asked.

"Whoops, hehehe... wrong video." Marshall said as he gave a bark. "Play next video." The video camera then played the next video, which displayed the Huntsman speaking with Shadowy Figure.

_"I must say, I wasn't really expecting you to convince that little apprentice of yours to betray her little dragon mate." The cloaked man said. The Huntsmaster only grunted in dispute._

_"My only concern is to wipe out the entire magical realm and rule it as I see fit." He spoke._

_"Oh... and I take it you'll be dropping your little traitor back off to her mother and father once we're done, right?" Shadowy Figure asked._

_"No..." The Huntsmaster said. "I don't intend on keeping that promise. Once the American Dragon is out of my way, I will kill her, just as she will kill her precious dragon." _

The video ended, with everyone surprised.

"Wow, you actually recorded that while eavesdropping?" Sonic asked.

"Yep." Marshall said. "Something I learned when Chase was training me to be a spy." Sonic couldn't help but smile at the pup.

"What a good pup." He said, giving a scratch to the dalmation's ear. As the recording image ended, the girl glanced back at the Huntsman in total shock.

"Is... Is that true?" Rose asked. "You were just using me?"

"Huntsgirl." He said. "Of course, it's not true."

"But that was recorded with real footage!" Rose said.

"Yeah, it was recorded with real footage!" Sonic said. "Explain that Huntsy!"

"It is true!" Marshall said. "The Huntsman's a liar! He doesn't care about you! He just want to use you until he has no more use of you!"

"Please, don't do this..." Sonic said as he took a couple of more steps forward. "I know you miss your parents, but they wouldn't want you to do this and you know you don't want to either. I know you still love Jake, and believe me, I know. Don't make the same mistake I made. I didn't know what I had until I lost it." His hand was on the tip of the staff, and he staring at the girl. She only glanced at him for a second, then at Jake.

"The choice is yours, Rose." Jake said. "I just want you to know that no matter what happens, I love you. I'll always love you even in death." The girl began to show tears in her eyes. She was so confused. She wanted to see her family again, but yet, in her heart, she loved Jake. The one boy who understood her, who knew what she was going through, who stood by her side, even in the end. Her eyes closed, and she glanced back at him.

"I'm sorry Jake... for everything." Rose said. Her eyes tilted to her right, as if she saw someone. She sighed. She then raised her staff up, ready to strike. The dragon cringed his eyes, as Sonic stepped between them both to shield his friend.

"HEEYAH!" She shouted as she swung... but not at Sonic or Jake. She turned, surprising her master. She whacked him in the face, making him grunt in pain, his helmet cracking a bit more, and the Master Skull was flung out of his hand into the air. Sonic froze as he saw this, as did Jake. He looked up in the air and saw the Master Skull almost drop. But then, the huntsgirl kicked it to her right, and it flung into someone's hand. Sonic's eyes widened as he knew who it was. The person who caught it... was Sally Acorn. She was wearing a much more different attire now. Her hair was in a ponytail, her white shirt was covered by her blue sleeveless royal vest, and she wore black leggings and blue boots, along with blue bracelets. She was staring right at the skull, and then, it began to glow brightly. Suddenly, all the skull gems inside the gargoyles began to light up and send a magical surge to the one in the Princess's hand.

"What the?" Sally asked.

"Quick!" Rose called out. "Make a wish! Any Wish!" The chipmunk looked at the girl and back at the skull. She gave a nod and held it up.

"I wish for my father to be ok!" Sally called out, and the skull gem lit up, charging up with energy. Then, with all the power it had, it sent out a shockwave across the city, leaving behind sparkles.

Back at Mercy Hospital, King Acorn was resting in his bed, while Ryder and Mayor Goodway were sitting and waiting.

"Ummmhh… oohh…" The king moaned out, his head moving a bit slowly, getting both their attention.

"The King's moving!" Ryder said as he and Mayor Goodway.

"Nigel, are you alright?" Mayor Goodway asked. Pretty soon, the king opened his eyes, finally waking up from his coma.

"Am I home Toto?" King Acorn asked.

'He's awake!" Ryder said.

"He's awake!" Mayor Goodway said as she began to cheer.

"He's awake?" Skye asked as she, Rubble, Zuma, and Rocky leaned into the room before falling down on each other.

"Yep, he's awake!" Ryder said.

"Oh, Nigel, thank goodness you're alright!" Mayor Goodway said.

"Take it easy, your majesty." Ryder said. "You may want to rest for a while." The King looked around, trying to spot a certain red haired chipmunk, who wasn't present.

"Wh...where's Sally?" He asked.

"She's probably with Sonic right now." Ryder said. "She said she had to go help him out." The King laid in bed, but gave a smile.

"It's alright." He said. "I knew Sonic would keep his promise."

"Calling All Pups! I Repeat, Calling All Pups!" Ryder froze, hearing that familiar voice. He reached down into his Pup-Pad and pressed the button that allowed him to communicate with the caller.

"Hello? Chase?" He asked.

"Hi, Ryder!" Chase's voice said.

"It's Chase!" Skye barked with glee as she came into the room near Ryder's leg.

"Chase!" Rubble, Zuma, and Rocky cheered as they circled Ryder.

"Chase, it's good to hear you buddy!" Ryder said with a smile.

"Good to hear from you guys too!" Chase spoke through the pup-pad. "Right now, I need your guys immediately at these coordinates, right away!"

"You got it!" Ryder said. "No job is too big, no pup is too small!" He turned to the rest of the pups.

"PAW Patrol, let's head for the Air Patroller!" Ryder said as he ran out the door, while the pups cheered.

"PAW Patrol is on a roll!" They cheered as they followed him out, ready to meet up with Chase.

Back at the building, the flash spread across Manhattan within a second an left behind sparkles, for everyone to see. Sally only stood there, seeing the Master Skull in her hand, which began to power down. It has finally been used, which means that it cannot be used any longer. The Ritual was complete! The wish was made! And the Magical Realm was safe! Everyone stood there in amazed.

"Wha… what happened?" Sally asked.

"You made a wish." Rose said as she approached her. "The Skulls can't be used anymore."

"What about my father?" Sally asked. "Will he be?"

"He'll be alright." Rose said. The chipmunk gave a smile.

"Thank you." She said. Sonic and Jake stood there, quite amazed.

"Wow." Sonic said. "That was... wow."

"The fact that Rose actually saved our hides and your princess girl managed to foil the Huntsclan's plan?" Jake asked.

"No actually, the pretty light show the skull gave was pretty neat." Sonic said. Speaking of the Huntsclan, The Huntsman, lifted himself up and saw the princess with the Master Skull, powering down. His eyes widened with shock. Sally has made a wish with the skull, and now it was useless.

"Wha… What have you done?!" He asked. The chipmunk glanced at him with a glare and smile.

"This." She said, and with all her might, she slammed the Master Skull down onto the ground, shattering it into a million pieces!

"No... NOOOO!" The Huntsman shouted in shock. As the pieces of the gem fell to the ground, the other twelve skulls held in the gargoyles surrounding the rooftop began to shatter one by one. Sonic, Jake, and everyone else watched with surprise and amazement as the skull pieces dropped to the ground, turning to dust as they hit the floor. The Huntsman only growled.

"GRRRAAGH!" He shouted. "I Cannot Believe This! All these years of planning have gone to waste!" But then, his glare turned to Rose, his own apprentice.

"You TRAITOR!" He spoke, summoning his staff. He then charged straight forward to strike her.

"Rose!" Jake called out.

"Look Out!" Sonic shouted, as the girl raised her staff in defense as he was about to strike.

-BONK!-

Suddenly, the Huntsman was bashed in the head by a long blue energy blade, that emerged from Sally's bracelets. Her bracelets were actually her Energy Blades, which she can use to fight. And she used them to bash the Huntsman in the head, sending him towards the elevator. He crashed into it with brute force, causing the doors to open up. No one could see it, but his helmet shattered opened and dropped down the elevator shaft.

"That was for my father..." The princess said, while the girl was surprised that she saved her.

"You saved me." She said, getting the chipmunk's attention.

"Yeah." Sally said. "That's what friends do." The girl was a bit surprised, but a smile formed on her face.

"Thanks." She said. "And... I'm sorry... for everything."

"I'm not actually the one you should be apologizing to." Sally said. The girl then knew what she meant. She turned to her right, seeing Sonic getting Jake out of his chains. Helping him back up on his feet, the dragon and the girl looked at each other.

"Rose." Jake said.

"Jake... I..." Rose said, but soon she stopped, hearing something from afar. Turning their heads, they saw the Huntsman, struggling to get up.

"Alright, time for the grand finale!" Sonic said as he stepped forward, ready to fight. Soon the Huntsman, growling with rage, turned around, showing his lower face was still covered. With a mighty screech, he tore apart his mask, while also ripping part of his cloak and suit off, showing part of his muscular body, which had a red dragon birthmark that reached up to his deformed hairless face. Sonic and Tails only gave disgusted looks.

"Now I know why he has a helmet and mask on." Tails said.

"Who cares?!" Knuckles asked, cracking his knuckles. "Let's take him out already!" The Huntsman, however, gave another shout.

"You... You will all pay for this!" He shouted, but then suddenly, a massive Ninja star struck him in his chest, leaving a massive cut, and making him almost fall over. The ninja star returned to it's sender, back to Captain Japan, who was still in his Ninja-Mode! Everyone gave surprised looks of awe as they saw the masked rider.

"Who is that?" Jake asked.

"The Masked Hero Returns!" Sonic called out as the Huntsman looked at the new hero with a confused look.

"Now What?!" He shouted.

"Huntsman." CJ said as he stepped forward. "The only one paying will be you. If you don't want this to be messy, surrender now."

"How dare you..." The Huntsman said.

"Beg your pardon?" Captain Japan asked.

"No one tells me what to do." Huntsman said. "And who's going to stop me? You?"

"Yeah, and so will they." Captain Japan said. Then suddenly, lights were dimmed onto the dragon slayer and his men. Surrounding them were a couple of ships, high-tech copters without propellers and with jets that began to open up, with many SPD troops coming out, all of them with their weapons and guns ready, and a familiar German Shepard pup joining the frey. He gave a bark.

"Megaphone!" He spoke, and his puppack summoned a megaphone about the size of his head, but as he spoke, it was really loud.

"Huntsman, by order of the Space Police Delta, you are under arrest for murder, double murder, triple murder, quadruple murder, killing your own soldiers, stealing valuable objects, cutting a mermaid's tail off, ripping a giant's arms out of their sockets?" The pup began to read the notes from the list he was given, and he was surprised by how much there was on it. "Wow, there are a lot of citations on this guy."

"Chase?" The pup lifted his head hearing his name, and to his surprise, he saw Marshall with Sonic!

"Oh, hey Chase!" Sonic called out.

"Marshall?" Chase asked. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm with Sonic." Marshall said. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"Here to pick up Sonic." Chase said. "And to put this dragon slayer in his place!"

"You heard the pup, Huntsman." Captain Japan said. "Give it up." Despite the threat, the Huntsmaster gave a gruff.

"Never..." He growled. "Huntsmen!" His call spawned his remaining soldiers left, who were actually all startled and surprised to see soldiers with better advanced weaponry then they do.

"Ok then." Captain Japan said, and he gave the pup a cue.

"SPD, ALL OUT ATTACK!" Chase called out, and the soldiers charged forward, while the other clan members charged too. Surprisingly, the SPD soldiers were actually far better than the Hunt Soldiers, managing to dodge their every attack, and counter attack with ease.

"C'mon!" Sonic out raising his fist into the air, with everyone, including Amy, Cream, Haley, and Sun Park, who were both freed by the former two, joined the battle. Tails flew it and swiped some of the huntsmen with his two tails, while Knuckles bashed their heads with his own two fists. Amy used her Piko Piko Hammer to swat a few of them off the building, making them scream as they fell. Cream was able to fly around and dodge, making the hunt soldiers bash into each other, and Cheese pounced on many of them too. Marshall was using his water cannon to splash some of the huntsmen with water, dazing them off, while Chase shot the drenched soldiers his new Electric Stun Ball Launcher, painfully shocking them and stunning them.

"Whoa." Marshall said with surprise. "Since when did you get a new cannon?"

"Since I joined." Chase said. "Look out!" He aimed his cannon at the two hunts soldiers behind Marshall, stunning them to the ground.

"Thanks!" Marshall said.

"Incoming!" a voice called out, making the two pups look at the sky, seeing four small figures in the air, with a young boy flying with them. It was Ryder and the rest of the PAW Patrol, all of them in their Air Rescue Gear!

"Ryder!" The two called out.

"We're here, guys!" Ryder said as he and the pups flew in.

"Ryder!" Chase called out as he and Marshall ran up to him and nuzzled the boy.

"Good to see you two guys." Ryder said.

"We're so glad you showed up Ryder." Marshall said. "And... sorry for leaving suddenly like that without letting you guys know."

"It's alright Marshall." Ryder said. "Let's get this fight done, shall we?"

"You got it!" Marshall and Chase said.

"Alright pups, PAW Patrol is on a roll!" He said as he and the pups joining the fray.

"Hey, guys!" Rocky said. "Let's use this! Don't lose it, reuse it!" He pulled out a long stitched rope which was made with several pieces of shorter ropes and blanket pieces.

"Quick pups!" Chase said. "Rope Trick Formation!" In unison, the pups took a hold of the long rope and they rushed over to the incoming huntsmen, who tripped over the rope, while the pups laughed. Then, Chase turned to see Princess Sally fighting some of the Huntsmen, until one of them managed to punch her in the face, sending her off balance.

"Princess!" Chase shouted as she charged forward. He shot another Electro-Stun Ball at her attacker, who fell back completely stunned. The German Shepard approached the Princess to see if she was ok.

"Princess, are you ok?!" Chase asked, but the Princess didn't respond. He leaned in and said her name. "Sally?"

"GASP!" Sally shouted as she got up, almost panting. She looked over to see Chase, staring at her. "Chase?"

"Princess, are you ok?" Chase asked. The Princess looked at him and gave a teary smile. She clung to him and hugged him tightly, nuzzling his face.

"I'm ok." She said. "I'm ok. Took your time, didn't you?"

"Yeah, sorry about that." Chase said.

"It's ok." Sally said. "Thanks." She gave a nuzzle and a scratch behind the ear, making the German Shepard give a moan of pleasure. Back with Sonic, he was bashing the Hunts soldiers with his homing attack, while CJ was with him back to back, striking the dragon slayers with his Shadow Tanto blades.

"Nice of you to bring the cavalry." Sonic said as he kicked one of the huntsmen.

"No problem." CJ said as he swung one of his Shadow Tantos, striking down one of the dragon slayers. Sonic turned his head, seeing Jake having his bout with the Huntsman, both of them trying to push each other back. But the Huntsman managed to push him away, sending him to the ground.

"You shall pay for this American Dragon!" He shouted, raising his staff, only to be blasted away by Rose, who stood between him and Jake.

"Rose!" Jake said.

"Don't worry." She said. "This time, I'll protect you." The Huntsman slowly rose back up to his feet, staring at his apprentice... or former apprentice of course.

"How dare you betray me, Huntsgirl." He hissed.

"Rose." She said. "My name is Rose, and it'll always will be."

"How could you do this?!" Huntsman asked. "I trained you, I raised you!"

"You stole me away from my family!" Rose said. "You took fifteen years of my life away! And for what? Just to use me to further your own ambitions?!"

"Whatever is necessary to fill in our ranks." Huntsman said. "If you know what's good for you, stand aside."

"Never." Rose said. "I won't stand aside. To tell you the truth, master, I love Jake more than I fear you." The Huntsman only chuckled.

"Well then." The Huntsman said. "Time to do what I should've done fifteen years ago!" He rushed forward, ready to swing his staff, while the girl stood her ground, only for Jake to move between them, his arms around her and his back faced against the Huntsman to protect her. This was spotted by Sonic.

"Jake, Look Out!" Sonic shouted, rushing in between them and the Huntsman, bringing out the Sword that the King gave him. The sword began to glow brightly, giving a blue and white mystical light. As the sword clashed with the Huntsman's staff, a bright light blasted from Sonic, nearly blinding everyone around them.

As the light cleared up, the Huntsman felt something... pushing against him? Looking forward, his eyes widened, seeing before him was the blue hedgehog, but he was glowing a blue-ish white. His entire body, and the sword he was wielding was bathed in a glowing aura, sparking with a blue colored electricity.

"Wh...What Is This?!" The Huntsman asked, before his staff was pushed by Sonic.

"Don't mess... with their funky flow!" He spoke, then pushed him far back with his blade. The blue blur glanced down at the blade he was holding, which was glowing along with him. Then he noticed something was glowing under the bandana around his neck. It was the ring, and it was glowing the same color as he and the sword was.

"Whoa..." Sonic said. Everyone watched in amazement.

"Sonic?" Tails asked.

"What the what?" Jake asked, as Rose stood there confused herself.

"He's glowing?" Chase asked.

"Wow, that's amazing!" Marshall said. Getting back to his footing, the Huntman saw the blue hedgehog, standing in place, who then noticed that he was glowing, and sparking with some electrical surge along with the necklace around his neck. He gasped in shock.

"That ring... the symbol of the House of the Lucii!" He spoke. "Wha… What Are You?!" Sonic only glanced at the sword before turning to his foe.

"I'm just... Sonic the Hedgehog." He said with a smile. While everyone was watching with shock and surprise, no one took notice of Shadowy Figure, watching from the building top next door. He too was surprised.

"That blade is not a piece of eden..." He spoke. "It's one of the ancient glaives of Lucis! We've been after the wrong sword this whole time!" With an angry grunt, he then walked away, disappearing into the night. Sonic and the Huntsman stood face to face.

"Shall we finish this old fashion style, baldy?" Sonic asked, while the Huntsman growled.

"Gladly..." He hissed, and with a mighty shout, he charged forward, while Sonic did the same. They both swung, crossing blades with each other. Sonic leaped up and down as he swung down to strike, while the Huntsman blocked and countered. As he swung to slash his target, the blue hedgehog only zipped and used several homing dashes to his face. The whole fight was like Master Yoda facing off against Count Dooku from _Star Wars: Attack of the Clone Wars_, except there were no lightsabers. Pretty soon, which was appeared to be minutes of fighting, the two crossed blades.

"C'mon, is that really all?" Sonic asked.

"You little pest..." Huntsman said. "How is it every time I see you, I see _his_ face?!" Sonic only smirked. No doubt he was referring to the hedgehog's father. The lone wolf who threw him into the monster pit years ago. The Huntsman pushed once more, with Sonic somersaulting back, and crossing his sword with the dragon slayer's staff once more. The blue hedgehog gave a funny face, taunting the huntsman, which only made him angrier. After a couple more swings and slashes, the Huntsman managed to cross the sword out of Sonic's hand. And with a mighty push, he pushed the blue hedgehog to the ground face first.

"Ow..." Sonic said, turning around to see the Huntsman facing down at him.

"You think that this is over?!" He shouted. The blue hedgehog quickly got up and attempted to throw a punch, but he was grabbed by the neck and was held down. "Nothing can stop the Huntsclan! I will not stop until every single magical creature is slaughtered... and I will silence anyone, who gets in my way!" He prepared to raise his staff for the final blow... but then...

_-BOOM!-_

A laser bullet shot the dragon slayer hard in the back, making him scream in pain. He then felt his entire body paralyzing all over, but he could still feel the pain. He was shot in the back, by Captain Japan, who continued to shoot with his R1-Pistol, while walking up to the dragon slayer. As he got close enough, CJ then pulled his pistol back. He then summoned his Shadow-Tanto swords. He then swung as the Huntsman attempted to turn, striking him in the face.

"Head's up!" He called out, kicking the king's sword back to Sonic, who grabbed it successfully, and swung right into the Huntsman legs, causing sudden sparks to burst out and making him fall to his knees. Sonic glanced and saw that there was some kind of gears and wires in the wound, showing that the Huntsman's legs were not flesh, but robotic! Part of his limbs and body were not flesh but wired cybernetics! So that meant one thing. He didn't have to hold back.

"Hey, Jake!" Sonic called. "Finish Time!"

"Got It!" Jake called out as he flew in and swung his claws, striking the Huntsman's stomach, leaving bloody claw marks. The three continued to beat the Huntsmaster down, with Sonic swinging his sword, Jake his claws, and CJ with his swords, pistol and Ninja stars. All three were tagg teaming him, striking the Huntsman with everything they got, even if it meant beating him to death. Each blow was causing the Huntsman's legs and hand to spark and burst, showing more of his robotic enhancements. CJ blocked the Huntsman's left arm, and swung his own elbow arm down hard on it, breaking the Huntsmaster's arm, making his yell in pain, while Sonic swung up, slicing the arm right off, causing it to burst and rip the wires right out, and Jake breathing fire upon him, burning him to a crisp, and showing the left side of his face, right where his eye was, was a metal plate with a red glowing robot eye. The Huntsman gave a shout as his entire body was shutting down... or malfunctioning to be precise.

"Hey, Rose!" Jake called out. "You ready?"

"Ready!" She called as she rushed in, leaping on Jake and then swinging her staff onto the Huntsman. She then grabbed Sonic, who then spun into a ball, and she hurled him towards the Huntsman, homing dashing him in the crotch. CJ then tossed his ninja star to Rose, who then swung it back to her former-master. She then aimed her own staff and fired, shooting an energy blast, with Sonic leaping in with a mighty spin dash, bashing him straight into a wall. As the wall burst and crumbled, creating a dust explosion, the Huntsmaster fell to the floor, weakened and defeated. He slowly lifted his head up, seeing the blue hedgehog approach him.

For a moment, Sonic stared at the Huntsman from top to bottom, seeing his legs now broken... literally. While small parts of his body, such as his upper chest, his neck and left face was flesh, everything else wasn't. His legs, which were broken were only broken gears and cogs all busted, and his left arm, now just wires and static, and the right side of his face, showing to be just metal. The Huntsman was no close to human. He was an abomination, like Frankenstein's monster. Who would've thought that the most feared dragon slayer in the world was actually just a freak.

"Well, well." Sonic said amused. "Look how the mighty has fallen. To think you were just a man, but no. You're just one freak of a monster. An inhuman, robotic, monster."

"Youuu…" The Huntsman hissed. "You ruined... everything..."

"Me?" Sonic asked. "No, you did this to yourself. The day you captured me was the beginning of your own downfall. But yet, you saw yourself above others and tried to be the most fearsome warrior in the world. But in the end, you're nothing but a hollow shell, drowned in your own greed and ruthlessness."

"Sh...Shut up!" The Huntsman shouted, but he choked, and his head buzzed a bit from the damaged metal. "I give the orders... me!"

"Ooh, big talk." Sonic said, resting his sword on his shoulder. "Say, you wanna know something funny?"

"Not really..." The Huntsman coughed weakly.

"Your sponsors, your business people who have been giving you weapons?" Sonic said. "Turns out I know some of those guys. And they told me that you, Huntsman, were a big fat joke."

"W...What?!" The Huntsman asked.

"A Joke!" Sonic said. "You're nothing but a joke! And they were right. You were a joke before you were thrown in that monster pit, and you're still a joke now. Look at yourself. A real man lives with his scars and failures, not replace them with metal and wires."

"You... you rat!" Huntsman shouted, though his pride was completely damaged.

"It's over, Huntsy." Sonic said. "Your little reign of terror over the magical realm is over. As my father had said to you before, Requiescat in pace." He then turned and walked away, while the Huntsman laid there dying. No... he wasn't going to lose again. Not to a rodent!" Looking down, he saw his staff, and he picked up.

"DIE, YOU RODENT!" He shouted, aiming his staff and fired a green bullet at the blue hedgehog. But to Sonic, time slowed down to a snail's crawl.

"Seriously?" Sonic asked with a cocky smile. He quickly turned around and swung his sword at the energy bullet, bouncing it back at the Huntsman, hitting him in the face, causing an explosion, burning his face and showing his entire left side to break apart, and his robot eye to pop out of it's socket. As the shattered dragon slayer began to choke on his own voice, CJ quickly pulled out a small device and clicked it, which started beeping.

"Hey, Hedgehog!" CJ shouted, getting the hedgehog's attention. "Clock's Ticking!" He tossed the small dagger looking device to Sonic, who then caught it, jumped into the air and threw it at the Huntsman, which jabbed directly in the socket where his metal eye used to be. Suddenly, the beeping went faster, as if it was a bomb... Yes, it was a bomb, and before the Huntsman knew it...

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO-!" The Dragon Slayer screeched... and then...

_-BOOOOOM!-_

All that was left was a fiery explosion that consumed the Huntsman and blew him up to pieces, as Sonic made a perfect landing with a smile, holding his sword over his shoulder like Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII.

"Yippee Ki Ya..." Sonic said. Everyone, who shielded away from the explosion, turned to see what was left the Huntsman, nothing but smoke, his mutilated corpse and his ruined cape. The Huntsmaster, the fourth biggest threat to the magical realm, was no more. The rest of his men, stood there in great shock, and only stared at the blue hedgehog, who turned back at them.

"Is there no one else?" Sonic asked with a smirk. The rest of the Huntsclan then only did one thing... drop their weapons. Their blades, daggers, staves, guns, all of them dropped to the floor. All of them dropped to their knees in defeat, while #88 and #89 emerged from the side the building, bruised up from their encounter with Amy and Cream.

"Sorry we're late!" #88 spoke. "Some crazy girls tried to-"

"Ahem..." A voice spoke in front of them. The two looked up to see Chase and the rest of the PAW Patrol, staring at them with growls, ready to pounce.

"You two are under arrest." Chase said, while the two Huntsboys looked at the pups, scared.

"Uhhh… we quit?" #89 said, while Chase only shot his net at them, trying them both up.

"Better." Chase said. CJ stepped forward, his Ninja mode reverting back to his standard form, glancing at some of the SPD soldiers.

"Gentlemen, victory's ours!" He said, raising his sword up.

"HUZZAH!" The SPD soldiers cheered, with some of them hugging each other, one of them kicking one of the Hunts soldiers, glad that they won the battle, while some of the were glad that this was actually a much shorter and easier fight. Sonic only stretched, giving a happy sigh, while Jake approached him with surprise and relief, shifting back to his human form.

"Dude, I can't believe it." Jake said. "We won. We won!"

"Was that way past cool or what?" Sonic asked.

"Dude, that was more than way past cool." Jake said. "That was way past awesome!"

"That's what I'm talking about!" Sonic said as he raised his hand.

"Upstairs!" Jake said as he and Sonic high fived.

"Down Low!" Sonic said as they low fived, and fist bumped.

"Sonic, we did it!" Tails said as he flew to his friend. "We won! The Huntsmen are finished!"

"Yeah, and we made it an omega happy ending too!" Sonic said as he hugged his two-tailed friend.

"Oh my little Tailsie-Poo!" a voice spoke from behind Tails. Turning his head, he saw Jake's sister Haley flying right at him.

"Oh No!" The fox shouted, but then he was in the grip of the pink dragon, who was smothering and nuzzling him with affection. Yes, the little Einstein dragon girl was in love with this fox. A little weird, but who can blame her ever since the Fox saved her from a couple of goblins a while back.

"Oh Tails, I knew you would come back to save me!" Haley said as she attempted to peck the fox on the cheek.

"Help Me, Please!" Tails shouted as he tried to break free, with Amy and Cream only giving giggles, while Sun Park and Knuckles approached the hedgehog and Asian boy.

"Not exactly the kind of fight I was expecting, but well done, Dragon Long." Sun Park said.

"Well, Sonic deserves most of the credit, actually." Jake said. "He's the hero."

"Nah." Sonic said. "We're all heroes today."

"Well this stinks." Knuckles said. "I was really looking forward to punching that Hunts freak right in the face. But hey, what'cha gonna do?" Sonic and Jake only rolled their eyes.

"Well, I guess now that's over, I better go talk with my dad and my gramps to make sure they're alright." Jake said. "With everything that happened, me saving the world and my dad now knowing about everything, hopefully things will lighten up on everybody."

"Yeah." Sonic said. "You want me to go with you?"

"Nah." Jake said. "I should probably do this myself. It' time that I stand up and speak for myself this time."

"True that." Sonic said with a thumbs up. But then he turned to his right, seeing someone. "But first..." He then pointed forward. Turning to that direction, Jake saw Rose, staring up at the starry sky. That's right. There was some unfinished business left to take care of. The boy approached her.

"Hey, you alright?" He asked.

"I... I still can't believe it." Rose said, looking up at the sky. "It's over. It's finally over. I'm free."

"Yeah." Jake said. "How do you feel?"

"I feel... I don't know." Rose said, unable to figure out what she's feeling. "I feel, like something heavy has lifted off my shoulders. I feel... happy, and at the same time... ashamed... with everything I've done." The boy knew while she was talking, her voice was trembling a bit, and her eyes were starting to water. But she was trying to fight it back, trying to be strong. He knew if he didn't say anything yet, she was gonna explode.

"Rose." He said, taking her hand. "It's alright. You can let it out." The girl only stared at him for a brief moment, and then her face began to break, as tears began to drop from her eyes. She threw herself over the boy and hugged him tightly, and she began to cry. To be honest, this was probably the first time she had ever cried in a long time. All those years being trained by the Huntsclan and trained to be tough, to feel no emotion. But now, now that she's free, she can finally let her sorrow out.

"I'm sorry..." She choked. "I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry..."

"It's ok." Jake said. "It's alright. I'm here now. I'm here." The girl only sniffed as she continued to cry.

"You're the greatest friend in the whole world." She spoke as she nuzzled him. The boy only smiled as he hugged her back, allowing her to cry on his shoulder. They stood there for only a few more moments until Rose finally got a hold of herself, wiping her tears away.

"Feel better?" Jake asked.

"Yeah, a lot better." Rose said.

"Say, is this a bad time to ask you out to dinner this weekend?" Jake asked a little nervously. The girl only smiled.

"After everything you put up with, you deserve it." Rose said. Pretty soon, she leaned forward and kissed him on the lips, making his eyes sparkling with surprise. Regardless, he held on to her as they continued their kiss, while Sonic only watched with a smile.

"Now this is a happy ending." Sonic said, as Sally walked up next to him.

"You know, you did good today Sonic Hedgehog." Sally said, looking back at him.

"Yeah." Sonic said, looking back at her. "Thanks for coming." The two looked at each other and leaned in to kiss as well.

"Um, Sonic the Hedgehog?" A voice made them end the kiss quickly. Turning to the voice's source, they saw Captain Japan approaching them. That's right. Sonic still needed to thank him.

"Oh right!" Sonic said as he approached him. "Thanks for helping us." With that said, Captain Japan lowered his sword, and moved his hands across his mask. Taking it off, he revealed his medium spiky straight hair, and blue eyes. It was none other than Jamiko Miyamoto, and to top it all off, Sonic recognized him from the Treaty Speech back at City Hall. That boy who helped him with the Huntsmen breaking in was actually this masked rider! That explains why his voice was so familiar.

"Ok, you got my full attention." Sonic said. "Ummm... Miyamota, are you?"

"Miyamoto." CJ said. "My name is Jamiko Miyamoto of the SPD."

"SPD?" Sonic asked.

"The Space Police Delta?" Sally asked with great surprise. "The protectors of the multiverse?"

"Multiverse?" Marshall asked.

"Wait, the Interdimensional Police Force?" Sonic asked.

"Yes." CJ said. "It's such an honor to meet you Sonic the Hedgehog."

"The honor's mine too." Sonic said. "But what are you doing here?"

"To pick you guys up." Chase said as he approached the group.

"The SPD is in need of your help." CJ said.

"My help?" Sonic asked. "What do you guys want from me?"

"The SPD is up against a force that will threaten to destroy the world." CJ said. "And they want you to help." Sonic looked at the boy, and began thinking. It was very odd that the SPD, one of the highest ranking intergalactic space force would want him to help them out, since they're suppose to be the professionals and what not. But, the blue blur had to admit, it was quite an honor that they requested his help. But for what? Guess he had to find out for himself.

"Alright, I'll come along." Sonic said. "But I take my pup, my best friend, and my girlfriend."

"Yes, Please!" Tails spoke, feeling Haley's sufficating hug of affection nearly killing him. "Anything to get away from her...!"

"Already arranged." CJ said as he pressed his wrist-com. "Alyx, copters ready?"

"Ready!" Alyx's voice said. Then turning at the other side of the building, another SPD Carrier Copter emerged, getting everyone's attention. The doors opened up, revealing Barney and Alyx, with Dog behind him giving a wave.

"Hey, Blue Blur!" Alyx called out, with Sonic recognizing her.

"Alyx!" Sonic said. "Good to see you guys again! You guys part of this too?"

"You bet!" Barney said. "Can't wait to fill you in on what's been going on."

"Alright!" Tails said as he flew up to the copter, finally breaking free of Haley's hug, with Sally and Sonic following behind.

"You ready, Marshall?" Sonic asked, looking back at the Dalmatian, who gave a nod.

"I'm ready." Marshall said.

"Then let's do it to it." Sonic said with a wink.

"Yes!" Marshall cheered as he looked at Chase. "Looks like I'm coming along with you, Chase."

"Sure looks like it." Chase said. "But just to let you know Marshall, this isn't the PAW Patrol. This is next level stuff, so you better be on your toes."

"I Will!" Marshall said, while the other pups and Ryder approached the two.

"Wait, you're leaving already?" Rocky asked.

"But you just got back." Skye said.

"I know, but I gotta go back." Chase said, and then turned back to see Sally. "Besides, Princess Acorn is joining Sonic, it's my job as her service dog to look after her."

"And Sonic wants me to come along too, so I can't leave him hanging." Marshall said. "Sorry we have to go."

"It's ok, pups." Ryder said as he knelt down. "You guys do what you two need to do. And remember, if you ever need us, just yelp for help."

"Got it." Marshall and Chase said in unison.

"Well, you be careful." Rubble said.

"And have a Pawwiffic Time!" Zuma said.

"You better come back safe and sound too." Skye said as she approached Chase. "Promise you'll come back?"

"Promise." Chase said with a nod.

"Ok." Skye said as she moved up and nuzzled against Chase's neck. The German Shepard blushed and gave a little nervous smile.

"I saw that, tough guy." Marshall said with a sneaky smile.

"Marshall, not now." Chase said as he rolled his eyes. Pretty soon, the two pups, CJ, Sonic, Sally, and Tails made their way to the copter.

"Hey, you guys be careful!" Amy said.

"Go kick some ass, alright?" Knuckles called.

"Have fun!" Cream said as Cheese waved goodbye.

"We'll do!" Tails said as he hopped into the copter, with the pups and Sally jumping in as well.

"You ready for this?" CJ asked.

"More than ready." Sonic said.

"Then let's forge on." CJ said as he got into the copter.

"Hey, Blue Blur!" Jake called out, getting Sonic's attention. "You take care of yourself!"

"You too, dragon boy." Sonic said with a thumbs up and wink. The blue hedgehog jumped into the copter, and he and his friends waved one last goodbye as the doors closed up. With everyone now in tow, the copter took off, flying away from the area and out of the city, and as Sonic knew, that while this was the end of one adventure, his next one was about to begin!

As the copter flew out of the city, someone was watching from the streets, and it was Shadowy Figure. He was watching the whole fight, no doubt. But he was greatly surprised that sword was actually a sword that belonged to the ancient rulers of yore. Perhaps that hedgehog is much more than he believed. Regardless, he gave a smile.

"Hmmm... no, better not get involved." Shadowy Figure said. "I have my own stuff to take care of..." He then walked away, down the streets into the city night, only muttering a few words.

"Soon..."

* * *

**8!**

**Ok! That's the end of his chapter, and it might be a little cunflunkled a bit, because it's told from Sonic's point of view. Hope you guys could forgive me for that, and I hope you enjoyed it! **

**And Shadowy Figure, again, just has a cameo in the story. But the last word he speaks will lead into something when this story is complete. Let's just say after this story, I have an idea in the works. But enough of that for now. Let's keep our focus on this story for now, which is a long way to go from being complete.**

**Next two chapters we're going to take a break from Sonic and CJ to go back to the Wattersons and catch up with them. Stay tuned! Next chapter for that is also almost ready too!**

**Japanese Translations:**

**I Kill You - あなたを殺す - Anata o Korosu**


	10. Chapter 10: What is Love?

**Ok, we're gonna take a little break from Sonic and CJ right now, and we're gonna go back to the Wattersons real quick. This chapter is gonna be about finding love and all other things.**

**But... it's gonna get pretty scary first, and there are some... minor sexual moments, but no sex or anything like that.**

_**UPDATE****: This Chapter has been updated with additional and minor dialogue changes!**_

* * *

_**Chapter 10: What Is Love?**_

She felt so sleepy... really sleepy. She was starting to wake up from her slumber. She moaned as she opened her eyes, seeing a flash of light above her, as well as some electrical sparks. As her vision came back clearly, she noticed the light shining down on her was a ceiling lamp. She then tried to stretch her arms and legs, but they couldn't move. Wait. They couldn't move? She turned her head, and saw that she was on some sort of a table, and her arms were strapped down. She nearly gasped. As she moved, it was hard to do so because her arms were strapped. She lifted herself a bit, trying to see her legs. While it was a bit hard to see because her pregnant belly was blocking most of the view, she did see her ankles strapped down, and she was wearing a hospital dress, with blood on it!

"AAAAHHHH!" She screamed. Aelita was unable to break free. As she panicked, she took a view of the area, where there were some computer screens, several sharp tools, and blood on some of the walls, as well as cameras.

"Where am I?" She asked. "Where am I?" Before she could get her mind linked to what was going on, she felt a stiff tightness in her stomach, feeling pain. She moaned as she felt her stomach tightening up. She felt kicking going on inside, as if something was trying to get out.

_-SPLASH-_

She felt something escape from between her legs, something wet, like a gush of water coming out. She looked down and saw a puddle between her legs coming from her crotch. That wasn't urine... It was amniotic fluid! The baby inside her was coming out.

"No... Not Now!" She shouted.

"How excellent." A voice spoke. She turned her head and saw someone emerging from the darkness. His face could not be seen, but he was wearing a dark green coat, with a purple phoenix on his right upper sleeve.

"The hybrid is about to be born." He said with an evil grin. The girl's eyes widened with shock and horror. It was those freaks that kidnapped her. She looked around, and saw another man with the same attire, but much older.

"The time is nearly here." He spoke, as more men came from the shadows, surrounding her. The girl tried to break free, but she couldn't. The pain in her stomach increased as she began to breath quickly, feeling whatever was inside her trying to break out. The labor pains were just too much. She couldn't fight back as she just laid there, feeling the mass squeeze through her.

"How so sad..." a voice spoke, making her eyes open in horror. She recognized that voice. That venomous voice from the man who killed her loved ones. She turned her head forward to see him. The man with the white hair and red eyes, and the robotic arm. She screamed in horror, only to feel one of the other men's hands cover her mouth.

"Let us put her out of her misery." The man said as he lifted his robotic arm, which transformed into a sword. The girl screamed as he thrusted it into her chest.

"Aelita...? Aelita?"

The girl opened her eyes suddenly, seeing a bright light. She then blinked a couple times, seeing that it was a ceiling lamp. But it was a different one however. Suddenly, a familiar blue cat leaned over her and stared at her with concern. It was Gumball. The boy cat that found her and let her stay at his home with his family.

"Aelita, are you ok?" He asked. The girl looked straight at him for a few seconds, and then looked around, seeing that she wasn't in a lab. She was in a medical room, where there was only a screen, with an ultrasound device near it. There was also a shelf, where books rested and lined up with each other. She then noticed that she wasn't strapped to anything, only resting on a comfortable chair for patients to sit in. She then looked down at her swollen stomach, which housed the baby inside. She wasn't strapped. She wasn't in labor. She was safe. It was probably a nightmare she had.

"Yeah, I'm ok." She said, looking back at the blue cat. "Just dozed off for a minute."

"It looked like you were having a nightmare." Gumball said. "You wanna talk about it?" The girl lowered her head.

"It was... horrible." She said. She then felt a warm embrace from the blue cat, who was nuzzling her with his head.

"It's ok." He said. "You're safe." The girl couldn't help but give a smile as she wrapped her arm around his shoulder, allowing the hug to continue on. Just having him by her side made her feel even more safe. Suddenly, the door opened up, revealing a much taller blue cat coming into the room. It was Nicole, Gumball's mom.

"Hi kids." She said as she walked right in, but didn't close the door. "The nurse will be back here in a second with the blood test. Are you guys ok?" She noticed that the two were feeling a bit sad.

"Yeah, we're ok." Gumball said.

"It was only a nightmare." Aelita said as she rubbed her head.

"Oh." Nicole said. "How bad was it?"

"Bad." The two said in unison, but they then blushed, realizing that they spoke said it at the same time. Suddenly, the door opened up a bit more, revealing another woman coming into the room. It wasn't any of those whacky characters around Elmore. It was actually a human doctor, somewhere around Nicole's age, maybe a couple years older. She had long pink hair tied into a bun. She had a red cross in a square sign on her hat and dress, and she had a clip board. It was Nurse Redheart, and she was actually a nurse from a neighboring town. In fact, the group was in another town.

Yesterday, Nicole scheduled an appointment for Aelita to be seen and examined by a doctor, to make sure that she and the baby inside her were ok. They did not want to go to one of the hospitals down in the town of Elmore because... well, almost every adult and worker there were incompetent. So, they managed to get an appointment for yesterday and today at the town nearby, which was a much better hospital than Elmore's. Yesterday, they checked Aelita's bloodwork to see if she was well and didn't catch anything before coming to town. With her being on the streets and being subjected to horrible things, they wanted to make sure that she and the baby weren't infected with anything dangerous or life threatening. They said that they would have to come back the next day to get the results, which they didn't mind. Now they were back today, and they were also given an opportunity to see the baby with the ultrasound.

"Hello!" Nurse Redheart said. "How are you feeling Miss... um..."

"Stones." Aelita said quickly. "Aelita Stones."

"Yep, and nothing else." Gumball said, while Nicole only rolled her eyes.

"Ok?" The Nurse said, but gave a smile. "How are you feeling?"

"Ok, I guess." Aelita said. "I sort of passed out for a minute."

"It happens." Nurse Redheart said, and looked over her clipboard with the results. "Well, we checked your blood and good news! You're clean as a whistle, and you're healthy as a horse."

"YES!" Gumball said with a smile and arms up in the air. "In your face, she's clean as ace! In your face, she's clean as ace!"

"And the baby?" Nicole asked

"The baby's doing ok too." Nurse Redheart said.

"YES! AGAIN!" Gumball said.

"That's good to hear." Aelita said.

"Alright then, we have the ultrasound ready too if you want to see the baby, and to check if there's anything else we should see." Nurse Redheart said, pulling up the scanner from the device next to her. The girl tilted her head a bit confusion.

"Don't worry honey." Nicole said, her hand on Aelita's shoulder. "The doctor's just doing a ultrasound to check on the baby. Alright?"

"Ok." Aelita said. Pretty soon, the nurse moved the screen and machine closer, while Aelita lifted her shirt up, revealing her stomach. Pretty soon, the nurse placed the scanner on the surface of the girl's stomach. It felt pretty cold, as she shivered a bit. That is until she felt a warm hand in her own. She looked to see Gumball placed his paw into her hand. She looked up to him and gave a smile as she smiled back. Pretty soon, the screen came up and showed the inside of the girl's womb, and the unborn child that was inside.

"Look!" Gumball said astonished.

"Wow..." Aelita said amazed, seeing the baby that was seen on the screen. To her surprise, and to her relief, the baby was human. With the experimentation done on her during her captivity, she was expecting to see the baby as some sort of monstrous mutant. But no. It was a human baby, resting inside the girl's tummy.

"Awww... look at that." Gumball said with his eyes tear up with happiness. "It's a boy..."

"It's actually a girl." The nurse said. The blue cat looked at the nurse with a shocked face, but then he made a big smile.

"YES!" Gumball cheered even more. "It's a girl! Oh, wait, I already knew that." As the nurse looked confused, Aelita and Nicole couldn't help but laugh.

"He's back, alright." The mama cat said. She then felt the nurse placing her hand on her shoulder.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" She asked.

"Oh, of course." She said, following the nurse out the door, leaving Gumball and Aelita in the room.

"So, you feel ok?" Gumball asked.

"Yes, I'm ok, in fact I'm actually a bit relieved." Aelita said. "To be honest, I was afraid that I was having a monster inside me instead of a human baby."

"Well, it's not a monster." Gumball said. "The doctor said that it's a human baby girl. So, you can put that fear to rest. You're both healthy as a horse!"

"Yeah... a big horse." Aelita said, her hands resting on her tummy, while the blue cat placed his own paw on the surface of her bump. The silent gasp from the girl caught his attention.

"Sorry..." He said, removing his hand.

"No, it's fine." Aelita said. "Your paw is so warm." The blue cat gave a smile and blush. "Oh!"

"What is it?" Gumball asked, the girl's gasp as her hands rested on her tummy.

"She kicked." Aelita said. Gumball's eyes widened.

"She did?" He asked.

"Here, feel it." She said, taking his hand and placed it on her stomach, allowing him to touch the surface of her bump. As his paw rested on there, he felt something move inside. Suddenly, he felt something push on his hand from inside her tummy. Gumball's gasped. It was a kick. The baby kicked.

"Wow..." Gumball said. "What did it feel like?"

"It felt nice, actually." Aelita said. The blue cat glanced back down at the girl's stomach. As he moved his hand across it, he couldn't help but smile. It was like he was having some fatherly pride or something.

"Ummm... may I... talk to her?" Gumball asked.

"Oh... of course." She said. With permission, the cat leaned his head closer, until his cheek touched her tummy.

"Hello in there..." He said. "Hey little gal... how are you feeling today?" His question was answered with a teeny bit of movement inside the girl's abdomen. The blue gasped with a cute smile. The little girl heard him!

"I think she heard you." Aelita said.

"She heard me...?" Gumball asked. "Awwwww... sweeeeeet!" He leaned his head back onto the girl's stomach.

"How are you feeling today sweetie?" He asked, speaking to the girl's bump. "Hey, one kick for yes, two kicks for no. Do you like your little one room apartment in there?" The reply he got was one gently kick. He smiled greatly. "Good to hear. Are you a little anxious to get out yet?" Two kicks were the response, showing that the baby inside her wasn't ready to leave yet. The blue cat couldn't help but give a cute aww, and he continued to ask the unborn child questions, while Aelita couldn't help but smile, her hand rest on his head as he continued to speak with the child inside her.

Back outside, Nicole and the Nurse were speaking privately outside the room.

"I take it that your son's the father?" Nurse RedHeart asked.

"Oh, no, not really." Nicole said. "That's his... new girlfriend. But, if he was, he'd make a pretty good dad."

"So... how did you guys come across her?" Nurse Redheart asked.

"My son found her a few days ago." Nicole said. "And she's been living with us ever since."

"I see." Nurse Heart said. "Well, there's something you should know. When we did a medical exam on her yesterday, we noticed something... interesting about the fetus."

"What about?" Nicole asked. "Is the baby... human?"

"Yes, she is, but..." Nurse Heart said. "I know it's not my place to ask, but how exactly did she get pregnant?" The mama cat scratched her head. She didn't want to tell anyone about Aelita and her past, but she can say about how she ended up like this.

"Well, she was kidnapped last year following a... horrible accident." Nicole said. "Some crazy people did some experiments on her, and she ended up like this."

"Oh my." She said. "And how old is she?"

"Fourteen." Nicole said.

"Oh Bahamut." Nurse Heart said. "What a tough fighter."

"She's been through a lot." Nicole said.

"Um... what about her parents?" Nurse Heart asked.

"Oh, her parents are out of the picture." Nicole said. "Her mother disappeared when she was young, and her father died a year ago. Very tragic."

"Interesting." Nurse Heart said. "And she's living with you?"

"Yes, she is." Nicole said, looking through the window, seeing the girl still sitting in the chair, and the blue cat giving her a nuzzle, his hand rubbing her belly tenderly, while purring. The little blue cat was showing a smile, and seeing him smile brought a smile to the mama cat's face. "And she's made our lives better than ever."

* * *

Later that day, the Watterson's car was driving up to the house. Since they didn't have a garage or a parking area next to the house, Nicole had to park the car on the right side. Cars can be parked on the side of the road as long as their facing the direction they can go on, and as long as it's legal. The three got out of the car, with Nicole closing the front car and Aelita and Gumball coming out of the back. Usually Gumball would be riding in the passenger side if either Nicole or Richard was driving and not the other, but he decided to stay in the back to give Aelita some more company. Surprisingly, the blue cat had a list in his hand.

"Gumball, what are you writing on there?" Nicole asked.

"Stuff we need to get sometime before the baby is born." Gumball said. "I already stuff written down, such as baby clothes, pampers, toys, and we might even need to buy a crib. Since Aelita's staying with us, we'll need to get stuff for the baby." The mama cat raised an eyebrow with surprise. Gumball was already planning stuff for the baby? That's actually really responsible.

"Honey, I'm sure we still got some stuff from when you and Anais were babies." Nicole said.

"Mom, Aelita's gonna give birth to a human baby." Gumball said. "There's no way our old clothes will fit her... at least I think." As Gumball and Nicole were thinking, Aelita was also in her own train of thoughts. Her hand was placed on her belly. She was actually so happy to stay with Gumball and his family, she forgot that she was having a baby in tow, which could be due in a couple of weeks. Yes, when a woman gets pregnant, they usually have to plan for what to get the baby ahead of time, but with Aelita being a young teenager, and been on the streets half the time and being experimented on the other half of the time, she didn't have the necessary route to plan for the baby. In fact, did she want it? She let out a sigh.

"I... I don't know if I want to keep her..." Aelita said.

"Huh?" Gumball asked surprised, getting both his and his mom's attention. "Why not? Don't you want to?"

"I... I don't know." Aelita said. "This was done by an experiment upon me, and it was something that I didn't ask for."

"But, don't you want to have kids?" Gumball asked. The girl only stared at the floor, unable to come up with an answer. Does she really want to keep her? She always wanted kids of her own. But that's the thing. It's not really her own. How can she love this baby if it was forced upon her? Despite the downsides of pregnancy, such as hormones and morning sickness, Aelita really enjoyed having the little passenger inside her tummy. But she couldn't feel any powerful love connection to the child. It just wasn't there. But she didn't want to throw her away. She knew the baby deserved someone better than her.

"I always thought about having children someday." Aelita said. "But now is too soon. And I'm still too young. I don't think I'm ready to take care of a child." The blue cats knew what she was talking about.

"Oh yeah..." Gumball said. "It's a big responsibility. If only the school taught us how to take care of children properly." Nicole rolled her eyes, knowing what he meant. She remembered the time when he was assigned to a class project to take care of a baby, where they were given bags of flower that had smiley faces on them. But they were not set up probably, and would explode when left in the sun for about five seconds.

"Tell me about it." Nicole said.

"This child was forced upon me." Aelita said. "And I want to love her, but I don't think that I can. But I really want what's best for her. To be with a family that would give her the love she deserves. Something that I won't be able to do." The blue cats glanced at each other, and then back at her. The teenage one walked up to her and took her hand.

"It's ok." Gumball said. "No one is forcing you to keep her. It's your choice if you want to give her to someone else." Nicole gave a smile of her own, placing her hands on the girl's shoulder.

"He's right." Nicole said. "If you don't want to keep her, then we'll find her a good home, though I don't know if there are any... good people around here in town. But, I do know some old highschool friends out of state that can."

"Wait, you know people?" Gumball asked.

"Of course I do." Nicole said. "I know some friends who adopted a boy years ago, and they're in the market looking for a daughter, so I'll ask them." The girl in front of them glanced up at them.

"You all would do that for me?" She asked.

"Absolutely." Nicole said.

"Yeah." Gumball said. "Definitely." In an instant, Gumball leaned his head on the girl's bump, rubbing her tummy softly.

"Don't worry, little girl." Gumball spoke in a cute voice. "Either way, we'll find you a wonderful family that will give you all the love you'll need. Does that sound nice?" He then felt a single kick from inside the girl's tummy, showing that it liked the idea... "Sounds like she agrees." Seeing him nuzzle against her tummy made Aelita giggle, and Nicole couldn't help but roll her eyes, but she smiled. She didn't care if her son was acting silly. He was so happy, and that's what mattered.

"C'mon kids, let's go inside." Nicole said, and the three departed back into the house. Unbeknownst to them, they were being watched... By two anthropomorphic characters, a bit different than the ones here in town.

One of them was Mordecai, a blue jay, almost six feet tall, with white coloring over his front body, cheeks, and around his arms. His eyes were brown and his beak was grey. He wore a white shirt underneath a varsity jacket with red sleeves, and he wore blue jeans that covered his long grey legs. He also had a pair of two-toed boots on. Mordecai is pretty much mild-mannered, and laid back. Some times likes to play video games, sing karaoke, and drinks coffee and soda. He doesn't usually like work, but he strikes to keep a good reputation, as he possesses patience, responsibility, good intelligence, and a big heart.

The other was Rigby, a short brown racoon around 3'5 tall with black eyes, while brown coloring circled around them. His underside was grey, and he had a long bushy tail with darker brown strips. He wore a black-green shirt covered by a blue unzipped hoodie, and his pants were black. He wore no shoes on, given since he's an animal. Rigby is pretty much the wild adult, past his teenage years. He has impulsive mood swings and shows lots of arrogance. He can be pretty immature, almost like a child, and pretty much the opposite of Mordecai. But inside, he truly cares about his friends, even those around him.

Mordecai and Rigby are pretty much an odd pair, but very good friends since they were kids. Mordecai graduated high school and went to art school for a while, while Rigby, he dropped out believing that school was boring. Mordecai and Rigby may be opposites of each other, but they have a lot in common, such as playing videos and driving around crazy with their nice white kart, which they've managed to buy with their work money.

Now somewhere in their mid-twenties, they have been working at the Elmore Park for almost a couple years after being hired by the Park owner Pops, who was a polite, and very well mannered man who loved life and everything. Unfortunately, the poor man passed away in his sleep peacefully. So now they were trying to cope with it with work, which they... pretty much slack a little bit with it. But they get the job done by the end of the day.

They are also pretty good friends with Gumball and Darwin, as they would hang out on special occasions whenever Nicole or Richard are not able to watch over them. They would not only play video games, but pull pranks on people they don't like, even with each other. But since Gumball's fall to depression, they weren't able to hang out as much as they used to. But now, they were watching from the end of the side walk from their cart, seeing Gumball with that new girl. And he was happy. Could this mean Gumball's got a new girlfriend. It looks like it.

"Dude... you see what I see, right?" Mordecai asked.

"Yeah, Gumball knocked up some girl." Rigby said.

"No, dude." Mordecai said. "I mean Gumball's got a new girlfriend."

"How do you know?" Rigby asked.

"Because, he looks so happy." Mordecai said. "I've never seen him this happy before in like... ever."

"Yeah." Rigby said. "But still, she's knocked up. I wonder how Gumball managed to pull that off."

"Dude, she's only been in town for like... five days, I think." Mordecai said.

"Well, that's long enough." Rigby said. "I've seen it in movies."

"Yeah, but back to the point, Gumball's his happy old self again." Mordecai said. "And it's really nice to see him back to his cheerful self again."

"Me too." Rigby said. "Maybe he'll finally play some video games with us."

"And some Laaazeer Taaag?" Mordecai asked.

"Laaazeer Taaag!" Rigby said.

"OOOOOOOHHHHHH!" The two called out, their usual bro call.

"HEY!" an angry older voice screamed from the side. Turning their heads, they saw a humanoid gumball machine, somewhere in his mid 30s. His glass dome is grey with sunken eyes and a large straight nose that overlaps his mouth. His body was red and his arms and legs were silver. The turn switch on his chest was shaped like a heart symbol, which could be where his heart is, and his latch was right where his crotch was... which was what covered his private area. The purplish and red gumballs in his dome head act as his beard.

This was Benson, and he was their boss. Well, he was now the Park owner after Pops passed away. He is insensitive, tactless, gritty, short-tempered, and a workaholic, always telling others to do their job, especially Mordecai and Rigby. When they're not working, or slacking off, he would always yell at them with a fiery red color, threatening to fire them if they don't get their work done. It's pretty much a daily thing nowadays. His temper was almost as bad as Nicole, who actually slapped him when she caught him yelling at her sons when they were helping Mordecai and Rigby with their work.

"Benson!" The two spoke in unison.

"What are you two doing?!" Benson asked.

"We're just taking a little break." Mordecai said. "We were just gonna see Gumball and check up with him."

"I didn't say you could take breaks." Benson said.

"But you said to take it easy today." Rigby said.

"That's not what I meant." Benson said, gritting his teeth and his body began to change to red.

"What, we can't spare five minutes to talk to a friend?" Mordecai said.

"Yeah, we haven't seen him in like a while, dude." Rigby said. "Oh, speaking of which, we think he's got a new girlfriend."

"I don't care, I want you guys to get back to work!" Benson said.

"Dude, don't worry, we're getting back to work." Mordecai said.

"We were just getting ready to go clean up the park." Rigby said. "Geez, you don't need to be aggressive all the time."

"Well, I wouldn't be aggressive all the time if you two weren't slacking off every single day!" Benson said, his face getting more red. "Just go to the park and clean the place up or your fired!" Mordecai only rolled his eyes.

"Gee Benson, you've been saying that for like almost a hundred times." Mordecai said. "Why not just do so?"

"JUST GO CLEAN THE PARK!" Benson screamed, making Mordecai and Rigby scream to as they got into the cart and drove off to where they were suppose to be. After that shout, Benson began to calm down. "Finally..." He then looked over across the street and saw Mr. Robinson, tending to his lawn mower, trying to get it to start.

"Oh, hey Gaylord!" Benson said with a smile. "You need any help?" The grumpy old man looked at the vending machine with a scowl.

"Go jump in a ditch, bitchy jerkass." Mr. Robinson said, with Benson feeling offended by that.

"You go jump in a ditch, you old jackass." Benson said sternly under his breath as he just walked away. Back with Mr. Robinson, he was trying to get his lawn mower started, but it wasn't. It wasn't working right.

"Stupid piece of crap." He said, unaware of Gumball approaching him from behind.

"Hey, Mr. Robinson!" Gumball said cheerfully, starting the old man a bit. "Wonderful weather, isn't it?"

"Uhhh... yeah." Mr. Robinson said, but then noticed the blue cat boy smiling, something he hasn't seen in a long time. "What are you so happy about?"

"Just feeling chirpy today, that's all." Gumball said, and then glanced down at the lawn mower. "What's up with your lawn mower?"

"Damn thing isn't working right, that's what." Mr. Robinson said. "It won't start." Gumball glanced at the mower and leaned his head towards it.

"I think it needs a little kick." Gumball said. He then gave it a kick with his foot. The machine started running, with the old man surprised.

"Wow... Thanks." Mr. Robinson said.

"No problem." Gumball said. "Anything else you want help with?"

"Yeah. Get off my lawn, Watterson." Mr. Robinson said unamused, wanting the blue cat to leave him alone.

"Of course, Mr. Robinson." The blue cat said as he gave a bow of respect, and then cheerfully went back into the house. Coming out of the Mr. Robinson's house was his wife, Mrs. Robinson, who looked a bit like him but with more feminine features, and a wad of fake hair. The grumpy old man was a bit surprised to see the blue cat being cheerful. Sure, he had dealt with Gumball's crazy shenanigans before in the past, but since the blue cat hit depression, Mr. Robinson thought it was finally a blessing, until he started missing the kid's happy attitude. Truth be told, seeing Gumball in high spirits brought a smile to the old man's face.

"You know, Margaret." He said. "Can't believe I'm saying this, but it's actually nice to see that little blue bastard happy and smiling again. I was actually missing his stupid cheerful face." He couldn't help but sigh and smile himself. But Mrs. Robinson however, gave a rude hissy moan, making her husband look at her with surprise.

"Why can't you be happy for once?" he asked as he went back to mow the lawn.

* * *

Back inside, Gumball was just cheerfully skipping as he made his way into the kitchen to pour himself some orange juice from the fridge. After pouring a glass, he drank it. As he finished, he gave a sigh. He just felt so... happy.

"Man, I feel great today." Gumball said. He started to wonder why he was feeling so great today. He then glanced out the backdoor window, seeing Aelita helping his mom with the laundry.

"I really appreciate the help, Aelita." Nicole said. "But try not to overdo yourself, especially for the baby's sake."

"I understand, Mrs. Watterson." Aelita said. "Just make sure you don't tire yourself out either." As the two continued on with their happy conversation, Gumball couldn't help but watch with a smile. His attention was actually drawn to Aelita, who bent down a bit to pick up some of the sheets and hang them up. Since they were too big for the dryer, the sheets had to be dried outside. There are some states that allow that, even in the country side. As the girl knelt down, Gumball couldn't help but stare at the girl's behind. He couldn't help but blush.

"Dang, Aelita's got a cute butt..." He said to himself. Suddenly, he saw the girl look up and right at him. She then formed a smile on her face.

"Hi Gumball..." She said. "You want to dust me all over?"

"WHA!" Gumball said to himself, and shook his head. Opening his eyes, he saw Aelita still helping his mom. She had his back to him the whole time. Did he just imagine her asking her to dust her all over? Eh, it was probably in his head. Or maybe he was just hungry.

"I think I need to eat something." The blue cat said as he went into the kitchen and pulled out a can of alphabet soup. Normally he would go with frosted cheerios, but recently a year ago, Nicole had him and Darwin stop eating the colored sugary ones because it would get them both so hyperactive that they would do crazy things like dress up in a tutu or get a tattoo on their butts. He placed it in the microwave for a little bit until it was nice and warm. Pulling it out, he opened the can, and began to gulp it down, drinking the soup and the letter shaped pasta inside. He gave a sigh, but then had the urge to look into the can. His eyes widened a bit, and there were a set of letters left at the bottom. And they spelled.

**Gumball X Aelita**

"Huh?" Gumball asked, and shook his head again. Looking inside, he saw the can empty. Was he imagining things again? He gave a sigh and tossed the can into the recycling bin. Walking into the living room, he noticed something was leaning against the TV stand. It was a small red colored guitar, which was actually Gumball's ukulele. While he always had some bad luck with the instruments at school, he was actually really good with the guitar, especially the ukulele. He picked it up.

"Hmmm... maybe a song might be what I need." The blue cat said as he went into the dining room and started playing and singing.

"Ooh, dearly beloved, you are my light in my dark." Gumball sang. "You bring me joy and happiness, you're the sparkle in my life. Oh, Aelita, I wanna kiss your face and all over your- What the?!" The blue cat stopped himself. Did he just sing he wanted to kiss Aelita? Getting annoyed, he did a silent shout, started to slap his cheeks and lips, and hit himself in the head with his Ukulele. He then slammed himself onto the floor, and started dragging himself backwards towards the furniture.

"Uhhh… maybe some TV might be able to help my mind get back in ease." He said as he jumped onto the couch and clicked the remote, turning on the TV. A commercial was playing, showing a guy and a girl dancing romantically with each other, while a bottle of perfume was displayed on the screen.

_"Here we have the new flower meadow perfume. You can surprise your lover with the fresh smell of flowers and she will kiss you all over, just as you will-"_

"Next." Gumball said, changing it to a show called _DIGITAL CODE_.

_"Maya! Don't worry, we'll get you out of the digital sea, my love!"_

_"Oh Jerry! I want to be with you again!"_

"Uuuhhhh!" Gumball said as he changed the station again, which showed two fish, one male, and the other female, each of them holding a box.

_"I couldn't figure out what to get you for valentine's day, so I bought you this box." The male fish said._

_"That's what I bought you!" The female fish said holding up a box. "I love you, sweetie." The two leaned in to kiss, while a random brown fish showed up on the screen, holding his broken leg._

_"MY LEG!" He shouted._ The sight was making Gumball growl even more.

"Oh, C'mon!" Gumball said. "Is There Anything On That's Not About Romance?!" He then changed the channel one more time.

_"And Now we return to Dominion Core: The Animated Series, On JET XD!"_ Gumball then sighed hearing that.

"Ahhh… finally." Gumball said as he laid back and relaxed, seeing the TV show based on the video game series he loved. _The scene showed Twigs was holding two dolls of Jadyn and Dawn, and making them kiss, while he was making kissy sound effects. He then noticed Jadyn looking at him with a state of shock._

_"Uhh… what are you-?" Jadyn asked._

_"Aw, c'mon buddy." Twigs said. "You know you wanna make out with her!"_

_"Dude, me and Dawn are not like that!" Jadyn said._

_"Oh please, lover boy." Maurado said as his arm was around his friend's shoulder. "We all know you wanna date her."_

_"And you might want to make it quick." Junichi said. "Or she may be out of your reach."_

_"Guys... please." Jadyn said, then looked at the viewer. "It's the ones who are watching who should be going for the girl, and you know what I mean."_ Gumball only stared at the screen, seeing the characters look at him. He sighed.

"Aww, screw it, I give up." Gumball said as he turned the TV off. "Maybe I should take a nap." He then laid himself onto the couch and closed his eyes, hoping a nice nap could help him get his mind off of everything.

"Gumball... Gumball..."

The voice kept ringing into his head. He couldn't get it out. That soft familiar voice. He opened his eyes to see who was calling him. But soon he found out, he wasn't on the couch or anything. He was in space, where the stars were twinkling with light. It was so peaceful... and romantic. That was strange though. He hasn't been back in this place since the accident.

"What the what?" Gumball asked. "Wait... why am I back here?"

"Hehehehe… hi Gumball..." A voice said. Looking back up, he saw Aelita, staring at him with smile.

"Aelita?" Gumball asked, but then leaned his head back to see that she was wearing a white dress, and she was... beautiful. She had such a radiant glow coming off of her, such pure light shining from her.

"Aelita?" Gumball asked. "Wha… where are we?"

"Oh, silly." She cooed as she placed her hands on the side of his head. "You're right where you want to be."

"And... what's that?" Gumball asked.

"Your heart." She said as she suddenly flew over him slowly until she landed gently on top of him. He blushed as she sat on him, looking down at him with a smile.

"Uhhh… Aelita, what's going on-" Before Gumball could say anymore, she placed a finger on his muzzle, preventing from saying anything else.

"Don't speak." She said. "Just relax. There's nobody else here but us." The blue cat only looked at the girl. He literally had no idea what was going on. He didn't know why they were in space, or why she was looking at him with a cute and romantic smile. Whatever it was... he was liking it. He was liking it a lot. No... He was loving it.

"I don't know what's going on here." Gumball said. "But... I like it... no, I love it." The girl then slowly laid gently onto his body, her chest almost touching his. His cheeks started to turn red, and his heart was pounding in a strange rhythm. Whatever this was, he was loving every second of it.

"_Kiss_ me." The blue cat's eyes widened, and his cheeks became even more red. Something in his chest was telling him to kiss her. He wanted to kiss her badly. Whatever he was feeling, it was good. It felt good. It felt so right. He then leaned over and his lips almost pressed onto her hers.

"AAAAAAHHHHH!" He screamed as his eyes opened up. He then shifted his head, left and right. He was still on the couch, and not in space. He felt sweaty though, as he felt a bit of sweat on his forehead.

"Ah... it was just a dream." He said. But then he started to think. What was that? That strange dream of him and Aelita. It was so weird... but it felt nice and right. He couldn't help but blush a bit as he sat there. He then lifted himself up from the couch and started thinking about that dream. What was it trying to tell him?

"Hey son!" Richard said as he came from the doorway, wearing his Fervidus uniform and hat. He just got back from work.

"Oh, hey dad." Gumball said as he gave sigh, something that his father noticed.

"Hey, you ok?" Richard asked.

"Yeah, I'm ok, just had this weird drea-." Gumball said, but then noticed that his dad was taking off his uniform, showing his naked fat stomach. "Dad, what are you doing?"

"Taking my uniform off." Richard said.

"Why?" Gumball asked.

"Because I'm home for the night." Richard said.

"I know, I mean why are you taking them off right in front of me?" Gumball asked.

"You've seen me without my clothes on before." Richard said.

"Yeah, but you don't have to take them off while I'm talking to you." Gumball said.

"Well, excuse me." Richard said. "At least I didn't wet my pants, mister."

"What?" Gumball asked.

"Well, you said you had a weird dream, so I figured that's why your pants are wet on the front." Richard said. His pants were wet? Before Gumball could speak, he then noticed something... something wet under his crotch and between his legs. In fact, his underwear felt wet suddenly. He looked down and saw that his pants below his belt were wet, and a little bit between his legs. Did he just wet himself? Wait, how was that possible? The dream couldn't cause that because it wasn't a night... mare... The boy's eyes widened with pure shock. That dream he had of Aelita about to kiss him and all that stuff going on in the dream. He didn't pee himself... he had a wet dream! A wet dream is what is described as an erotic dream, which causes the dreamer to involuntary ejaculate.

"Oh my god..." Gumball said. "Dad, that's not pee." Richard moved a bit closer and smelled.

"Sure doesn't smell like it." Richard said, but then his brain clicked, and realized what it was.

"Oh, Ho ho ho ho ho ho!" Richard said. "You had a wet dream! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" The pink bunny started laughing so hard.

"Dad, that's not funny!" Gumball said as he started to blush and cover his crotch. But then he saw dad's naked body, where it was jiggling his stomach and nipples. That was... pretty disgusting actually, even if it can be funny. Suddenly, Richard stop laughing and look down, seeing that his shirt was still off, and his nipples and stomach were still shaking and dropping a little bit. He slowly covered his chest, though his stomach was still hanging a bit. He started to blush and stop laughing.

"It's only funny when it's someone else's body!" He shouted as he ran up the stairs and to his and Nicole's room, slamming the door behind him. Gumball only sighed.

"Well, I better put new underwear on before anyone else sees me." Gumball said and he rushed up the stairs.

* * *

Back upstairs in the boys' room, Darwin was on the computer watching a video. Actually he was live chatting with someone, and from the voice on the screen, it was Carrie. They were discussing if they would still love each other if they did weird, gross, or cute things, something that Gumball and Penny discussed about a long time ago, and whatever condition Darwin or Carrie possessed, the two loved each other no matter what.

"Ok, next question." Darwin said. "Would you still love me if I did this the whole day?" He cleared his voice and then showed a happy face, showing his little buck teeth. It was the same face that he did when he and Gumball were skating down the street to get the trash bin, where their father and Mr. Robinson were locked in so they could settle a feud between them. Carrie couldn't help but laugh.

"Dude, I would totally love you if you did that." Carrie said. "Alright, my turn. Would you love me if I made this face all day?" She then turned her head upside down and made a ridiculous face, like she was bored out of her mind. With her being a ghost, she turn and morph her body in any way and shape she wanted.

"Awwww, I think you so cute with a face like that." Darwin said. "Ok, would you love me if I did tap-dancing with a dolphin impression?" He then started to tap dance, and made ridiculous dolphin noises as he did so, which was originally going to be the Best Thing Ever, until it was knocked out by the Kenneth the Gross Jar, a jar that contained all the gross things that could be found, until it was nuked in the microwave, came to life, and started eating people. Nobody remembers what happened to Kenneth. Seeing Darwin dancing with his dolphin noises made Carrie laugh.

"That is best thing I've ever seen, so yes!" Carrie said, agreeing. "Ok, would you love me if I looked like this." Suddenly, Carrie began to inhale, and suddenly, her entire body started to swell up, rounding herself up like a big beach ball. As she was at the right size, she exhaled a bit, feeling so full of air.

"Oh definitely!" Darwin said. "You would be the lovely beach ball that I would have with me every single day."

"Really?" Carrie asked. "Do you like how big I am?"

"Yep." Darwin said.

"Well, what about if I was bigger?" Carrie said. She then inhaled once more, allowing her already rounded out body to get even bigger, almost touching the ceiling.

"Absolutely." Darwin said. "But don't you feel any pain doing that? I know you're a ghost and all, but you know." Carrie then looked down at herself and chuckled nervously.

"Sorry, I think I got a bit carried away with it." Carrie said, unable to move because of her round shape. And her arms sunken into their sockets wasn't helping one bit. "Man, I feel so round and big. I'd really wish someone would roll me."

"Well if I were there, I would roll you all the way to wherever you want to go, my little ghostly angel." Darwin said.

"Awww you're so sweet, my little fishy-poo..." Carrie said. The two leaned in and pressed their lips onto the screens, as if they were truly kissing each other. Suddenly, the door opened, revealing a bashful Gumball walking into the room. He then stopped to see his fish brother kissing the screen, and on the screen, Carrie was inflated like a balloon.

"What the what?" Gumball asked, getting both their attention.

"AHHHHH!" they both screamed, while Carrie's cheeks puffed up and suddenly, she popped! After a few short seconds however, she emerged from below the screen, covering herself, while she and Darwin froze, while Gumball was trying to process what was going on.

"Uuuuhhhh…" Gumball said.

"Um, I gotta go!" Carrie said moving closer to her monitor. "Bye Darwin!"

"Bye Carrie!" Darwin said as they both turned off their own computers, leaving only Darwin and Gumball.

"Wh... what were you guys doing?" He asked.

"Nothing!" Darwin said, but then the fish with legs noticed Gumball's pants were wet. "Dude, did you just pee yourself?"

"No!" Gumball said, covering his pelvis. But Darwin noticed that his pants were not completely leaking all the day down the legs, so it was no way his brother peed himself. It then clicked quickly in his head.

"Oh, you had one of those nocturnal emissions, didn't you?" Darwin asked with a sheepish smile. Gumball was about to talk, but he sighed. "I'll take that as a yes."

"Please, just don't tell anyone about it." Gumball said, making his way towards his dresser. "Dad knowing about it is already embarrassing enough." He started to take his pants off, and followed by his underwear. Normally anybody would be weirded out by this, but Darwin has seen Gumball naked many times before. Such as on the stairway, in the living room, outside, in the forest, even at school. Yeah, that would be embarrassing. But Darwin has grown used to it, since he doesn't wear clothes himself, with the only thing he wears are shoes.

But Gumball changing pants and underwear wasn't what's gotten the fish's attention. He noticed Gumball was feeling a little off, as if something was going on in his head. Wanting to know what's up, he asked.

"Hey, are you feeling ok?" Darwin asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Gumball said, pulling out a new pair of underwear and pants.

"Well, you don't seem fine after having a wet dream." Darwin said. "Is there anything you want to tell me?"

"I don't want talk about it." Gumball said.

"Awww, c'mon, you can tell me." The fish said, showing his puppy eyes. The blue cat let out a defeated sigh, knowing that Darwin was not going to let this up.

"Ok." Gumball said, starting to put his underwear on. "I had this strange dream while taking a nap a few minutes ago."

"About what?" Darwin asked.

"I don't know how to describe it." Gumball said as he began to think. "I was floating in space. I haven't dreamed about floating in space since... the accident."

"Oh yeah, you used to dream yourself in space, having romantic moments with Penny." Darwin said.

"Yeah, but surprisingly, Penny wasn't there." Gumball said as he pulled up his new fresh pants, buckling his belt around them. "Aelita was."

"Really?" Darwin asked.

"Yeah, but that wasn't the only thing." Gumball said as he moved toward the window. "She was on top of me and begged me to kiss her. And to be honest, it felt... perfect." Darwin gasped.

"Really?" Darwin asked again, his eyes sparkling.

"Yeah." Gumball said. "And strangely, before that, I saw her outside with mom helping with the laundry, I imagined her telling me to dust her all over, then I drank some alphabet soup and imagined seeing my name and her name in the can, and then I start singing how much I wanted kiss her, don't know why that came into play there. But then I watched the TV and it was of people romantically following in love with each other, and Twigs was playing with dolls of Jadyn and Dawn, and was making them make out." He leaned near the window and glanced outside in the backyard, seeing Aelita and his mom finishing up with the laundry. She then picked up a small basket containing some clothes in there. Looked like she was taking clothes upstairs for his mom. She turned around and looked up at the house, seeing him. She gave a quick smile and wave to him. He couldn't help but smile and wave back at her. His cheeks started to show a bit of red.

"I've been thinking about her all day, and for some reason, I really like it." Gumball said. He then turned around to see Darwin standing close to him, giving his sparkle eyes and a big grin on his fishy face. It was a bit creepy.

"Dude, why are you looking at me like that?" Gumball asked.

"I see what's going on here..." Darwin said.

"What?" Gumball asked.

"Well, duh, you like Aelita." Darwin said.

"Darwin, of course I like Aelita." Gumball said. "She is my friend."

"No, no, no, dude." Darwin said. "I mean, you like-like her." The blue cat started thinking, and surprise quickly took him.

"Wha, Darwin!" Gumball said. "I don't like Aelita like that!... I mean, not in what you think."

"Oh c'mon, I've seen the signs that you've been showing." Darwin said.

"What signs?" Gumball asked.

"Like how you slept next to her on the couch a couple days ago, and then you two were snuggling out in the yard the night after and don't think I saw you two dancing together at the Hip Hop Club." Darwin said. "You daydreaming about her, her being in your dreams, you singing about her, and the stuff you've seen on TV! It makes perfect sense. And besides, I saw you nuzzling against her tummy talking to her little bun in the oven after you got back from the doctor's." The blue cat continued to think. Come to think of it, he has been doing all that stuff recently. But that cannot mean that he likes her to that extent.

"Ok, you got me there." Gumball said. "But I don't like-like her. I just... like her."

"Oh really?" Darwin asked with a sly smile, showing his cute buckteeth. "What do you like about her?"

"Dude, why are you asking me that?" Gumball asked.

"It's just a simple question." Darwin said. "Just tell me what you like about her." Despite feeling a bit suspicious, he reflected on Darwin's question and started thinking. What did he like about her? What was it that he really liked about her?

"Huh... that's tricky." Gumball said. "Well, there's a lot of things that I like about her. Actually, I like everything about her. Her voice, her laugh, her creativity. She's smart, funny, naive, compassionate, kind, generous, and very wise beyond her years... so many things that you can expect from a girl like her."

"And...?" Darwin asked.

"And what?" Gumball asked.

"Well, there has to be more!" Darwin said. "Tell me more!" The blue cat felt a bit more uneasy as his fish brother kept asking him for more details. But he continued thinking, and something came to his mind.

"Well... there is something I can say..." Gumball said. "It's just... since she's been with us for almost a week, we have been getting a bit closer than ever, especially since I found out what she had been through. And... I won't lie, whenever she and I accidently touch hands, or whenever we hug or press ourselves against each other, I feel... I feel pretty mushy inside. Like a... ummm... a mushy feeling that guys usually feel whenever they're around a girl they like. In a good way. It's almost like our souls are bonded together. Come to think of it, that's the first time I've felt that feeling since I've been with... with Penny." He paused. His eyes began to widen up with realization. He was right. He hasn't felt this way since Penny's passing! The mushy feeling that he'd always feel when he was around her, and now he's feeling it whenever he's near Aelita! He gasped. The things Darwin mentioned, the snuggling, the blushing, the mushy feeling! All those are the signs of one thing. He likes Aelita... no... he... like-likes her?

"Oh my gosh..." Gumball said. "I... I... I like Aelita..."

"No dude, you don't." Darwin said. "You're In Love With Aelita!" The fish with legs started to cheer up and down with happiness around his cat brother.

"I... I'm in love with Aelita." Gumball said, his face still shocked, and a frown began to emerge on his face. "But.. But... that can't be! Penny's my true love!"

"Dude, the heart wants what the heart wants." Darwin said. "It's the truth. You're in love with Aelita Stones..."

"But... but... but... I can't fall in love with someone else!" Gumball spoke, trying to get his head together. He then felt a tightness in his chest. Clutching onto it, he felt his heart pounding, in a strange feeling. It wasn't a heart attack. It was something else. The cat boy then started to feel himself sweating. His breathing was starting to shorten up, turning into hyperventilating, the same way when his father went on a Prank-Rage attack on him and Darwin two years ago.

"What's going on?!" Gumball asked, starting to hyperventilate. "What's happening to me?!"

"It's your heart man!" Darwin said. "It's telling you want it wants! It's proof that you're in love with Aelita!"

"But I can't be!" Gumball said, his breathing increasing at a faster rate. "That's not how true love works!"

"The heart wants what the heart wants, dude." Darwin said. "You cannot change what your heart wants. Your heart... is your guiding key..." Gumball continued to sit there, unable to control his hyperventilation. Everything around him suddenly went spinning, either it was him not getting his oxygen in correctly, or it's really his heart.

"I... I need some air!" He shouted as he ran toward the door. He rushed in and opened the door, and he froze. He saw Aelita standing there with the basket of clothes.

"Oh, hi Gumball." She said with a wave.

"AHHH!" Gumball screamed. His heart was pounding even more, and his hyperventilation increased. He quickly rushed past her and ran down the steps in a hurry. The girl couldn't see his face, but he seemed frightened or something.

"Is Gumball ok?" Aelita asked.

"Yeah, he's just... taking in the love." Darwin said with a cherpy smile.

Back with Gumball, he ran down the steps, almost tripping to the ground, and then started heading out the door. Thankfully his mom was also inside not seeing the little guy having a panic attack. He ran down the steps of the front porch, only to tumble and fall on the ground, his hand on his chest, feeling his heart beating to the rhythm of romance. He then looked around his street, and saw multiple people around. He saw Alan, the blue balloon reading a romantic poem to Carmen, his green cactus girlfriend.

"Roses are red, cacti are green, but none are more beautiful, than you, my little green bean." Alan recited.

"Oh, Alan." Carmen said. "You're so sweet." The two then gave each other a smooch, with Gumball almost screaming as he saw that. He then turned to see Mr. Robinson on his porch, holding Mrs. Robinson in his arms.

"You're so devious, so evil, and I love you." Mr. Robinson said.

"Meh meh meh meh meh meh..." Mrs. Robinson spoke, and the two continued speaking weirdly as they touched noses and nuzzled each other with smiles. Gumball then screamed as he ran to the side of his house and opened up the crawlspace that was underneath his home. As he opened it up, he froze, and saw none other than Tobias... and Banana Joe, making out with each other. The two stopped and turned their heads slowly to see Gumball staring at them.

"Uhhh… what are you doing under my house?" Gumball asked.

"I'm... going through a phase?" Tobias said nervously.

"And... I'm a banana." Banana Joe said. The blue cat only slowly closed the crawlspace back up and turned around, getting that out of his head.

"Ok, where was I again?" Gumball asked himself. "Oh yeah, I'm having a panic attack because I'm realizing I'm in love with Aelita." Then he screamed again, going back to clutching his chest and began to panic again. He rushed toward the backyard and couldn't help himself. He then tried to keep his breathing, but he couldn't. His hyperventilation got faster and faster. He quickly took his hoodie off, tossing it to the ground. He then tugged on the collar of his shirt, trying to breath properly. But his whole world was going all crazy, spinning in circles.

"I don't know what to do!" Gumball said. "I don't know what's happening to me! Somebody give me a sign!" Suddenly, he felt light-headed, most likely because his rapid breathing was causing him to take too much oxygen and getting rid of too much carbon dioxide too quickly. He was ready to pass out until he lunged forward, stepping on the handle of the shovel, causing it to swing up and bash him in the head. The blue cat fell backwards into the grass underneath him, feeling dizzy. But his short breathing was still there. He just stared at the sky, trying to make sense of what was happening to him. His heart, was beating in a smooth rhythm, in a lovey-dovey way.

"Why is this happening to me?" The blue cat asked. He closed his eyes, only seeing Aelita in his mind. He couldn't stop thinking about her. He turned his head, seeing the ants on the ground putting crumbs on the ground, spelling out a name. Aelita. Gumball then turned to his left, and saw a sprinkler from Gary's house spraying a bit on the fence, which spelled out Aelita's name. The blue cat stared up at the sky, seeing the only clouds that were in the shape of letters. A. E. L. I. T. A. It spelled Aelita's name. Gumball gasped one last time and his vision went blank.

In his mind, he couldn't stop but think. Flashbacks were going through his head, while romantic music was playing along it. The flashbacks were of Gumball meeting Aelita on the sidewalk when her cash was stolen, one where he saved her from those thugs that would've had their way with her had he not prevailed. The next scene was of him and her on the couch, talking before they fell asleep next to each other. Then he saw the scene of them at the Hip Hop Club, dancing slowly together. The next scene showed him and her in each other's embrace, as he comforted her when she told him of her tragic life story. He then saw himself and her dancing and cleaning the house up, with the next scene showed him and her, with his head on her pregnant belly, speaking to the unborn child that was inside her. And last but not least, the dream he had of her, where they both almost kissed.

And what happened then, well as Dr. Seuss would say, Gumball's heart... grew ten sizes that day...

He gasped, and then exhaled dramatically. The blue cat just laid there, finally taking in what was going on. He liked Aelita... no... he loved her. He loved her with all her heart. But... Penny was his true love. How could he love someone else? He rose up from the ground upward and stared straight foward.

"I need to talk to mom." He said.

* * *

"That's wonderful! We've been having so much trouble in searching for another child!" One the family computer, Nicole was actually speaking to two people through video chat. She was talking to two men on screen. One was a tall man, he had dark reddish hair, a long nose, and his face was hoval shaped, with buck teeth. He also wore brown slacks, a red collared shirt with rolled-up sleeves and four buttons. The other one next to him was a teeny bit shorter, but he was dark skin, showing that he was African-American, and he was rounder than the other guy. His hair was thinning ad very short. He wore a blue sweater vest with a black bow tie, and a light blue shirt underneath. He also wore a pair of jeans with brown loafer shoes.

"We're so glad you were able to call us, Nicole." The dark skinned man said.

"Well, me too guys." Nicole said. "Our friend said that she wanted to give the baby a good home, and I'm glad that you two were still in the market. Though there my be a possibility that she might change her mind, so don't get too excited."

"Well, we thought it was time to adopt another child, and our son Clyde has been feeling a bit lonely with our two cats." The tall man said.

"He's gonna be so excited when he hears the news." The round man said. "So, how is the mother expecting?"

"Oh, she's doing much fine now." Nicole said. "It probably won't be for at least a couple more weeks until the baby's born. But we'll make arrangements in meeting with you guys soon."

"Thanks, Nicole." The tall man said, but his eyes were showing tears. "Oh that poor girl, spending all alone in the streets! Oh, Harold, hold me!" The tall man hugged the round one, who calmly comforted his husband.

"Now Howard." The other man, Harold said. "Remember what Dr. Lopez said. Let's not be over dramatic." Howard however kept crying. "We'll talk later Nicole. See you soon!"

"You too!" Nicole said as the video chat ended. The mama cat gave a sigh and a smile. But then, she a frown appeared on her face. No, it wasn't a face of second thoughts. It was a face of guilt. She was thinking about what Howard and Harold told her, how wonderful it was that she took Aelita into her home when she had nowhere to go. She couldn't help but look back at the day before when she argued with Gumball about the whole fugitive subject. It was very wrong in her part to believe that poor girl was a criminal as Anais said. But she was wrong. Aelita was no fugitive. She had her whole life taken away from her, and Nicole had no right to gang up on her son about that. She never did apologize for the arguement.

"Mom?" Her son's voice got her attention. Turning around, she saw Gumball distraught, but noticed that his hoodie was a bit tilted over him.

"Gumball, is everything alright?" Nicole asked.

"Actually Mom, there's something that I need to talk to you about." Gumball said. "It's very urgent."

"Oh, ok, honey." Nicole said as she got up. "But first, there's something that I need to tell you about."

"Oh, you found someone who'll adopt the baby?" Gumball asked.

"Yes, but that's not it." Nicole said as she went into the kitchen.

"Well then, what is it?" Gumball asked, following her inside. The mama cat made it to the fridge and looked back at her son.

"Gumball... I want to apologize." Nicole said.

"Apologize?" Gumball asked. "For what?"

"For our fight a couple days ago, when I sided with Anais on the stuff she said about Aelita." Nicole continued. "It was wrong of me to gang up against you like that."

"Mom, you don't need to explain-" Gumball said.

"No, I do." Nicole said. "You were not in the wrong sweetie. I heard your talk with Aelita after our argument. I heard everything about what she'd been through. That's part of the reason why I letted her stay with us." She then hung her head down, looking away a bit.

"I won't lie, I almost called the police that day." Nicole said. "But I didn't tell them anything. I just told them I had the wrong number." The blue teenage cat raised an eyebrow.

"You didn't tell them anything?" Gumball asked. "Why didn't you?" At this point, Nicole reached into her pocket and pulled out a photo. The same photo that she had on the fridge, where they were all happy and laughing.

"You remember this?" Nicole asked, giving the picture to her son.

"Yeah." Gumball said, giving a weak smile. "This is the picture we took after we came home from Station Square."

"I really love that picture." Nicole said. "It keeps reminding me of all the happy times we used to have since that day."

"Yeah... that and I haven't gotten into any trouble since then." Gumball said, sparking a laugh from himself and his mother.

"We were so happy back then... but a lot of stuff happened the following year and... you changed." Nicole said.

"What do you mean?" Gumball asked.

"Look sweetie, I know you try to deny it, but it's so obvious." Nicole said. "You've been so depressed recently since the accident, and everytime I see you with that frown on your face, it breaks my heart. But when you brought Aelita into our home, you were happy. The old you was starting to come out of his shell, and I missed the old you. I just want you to be happy again." Hearing that brought surprise to her son. Thinking on it, she was right. He has been a lot happier since meeting Aelita. He's never been this happy since... since Penny passed away. Thinking about her brought a sad look to his face, with a couple tears ready to drop down his cheek. The horrible flashback of the accident that claimed Penny's life went through his head once more. Cringing his eyes, he hugged his mother tightly.

"I miss Penny, mom." Gumball said. "I really miss her."

"I know honey." Nicole said. "I miss her too." The mama cat stroked her son's fur as he silently shedded tears.

"Why does stuff have to happen to people like her?" Gumball asked. "She didn't hurt anybody."

"I wish I knew, honey." Nicole said. "I wish I knew. But don't beat yourself up about it. What happened to her wasn't your fault. Just know that she always thought of you so much." She stroked her son's fur once as his crying began to fade. With a sniffle, he spoke.

"Mom... I really like Aelita a lot." Gumball said.

"Do you?" Nicole asked.

"Yes, I do." Gumball said. "I really do. But it doesn't make sense though. I always thought that Penny was the love of my life. But now she's gone, and now I'm starting to like Aelita on that same level. I don't know what to do..." He buried his face into his mom's chest with distraught, and the mama cat nuzzled her son.

"Oh Gumball." Nicole said with a smile. "It's ok to fall in love again. You should never be afraid to fall in love again, especially with another girl. Penny would want you to move on."

"You think so?" Gumball asked.

"Of course." Nicole said. The blue cat then began to think. Maybe his mom was right. Maybe Penny would want him to move on.

"But... what about Aelita?" Gumball asked. "I don't know how to tell her how I feel towards her."

"Then show her." Nicole said.

"Show her?" Gumball asked.

"Yes." Nicole said. "When we were kids, your father showed me how much he loved me."

"How?" Gumball asked. Nicole was about to speak, but she froze, and she gave a blush. It would obviously something she didn't want to talk about.

"Well, that's not important right now." Nicole said. "The point being, you just show her how you feel about her. Just do something to show how much you really care for her, ok?" Gumball began to think on what his mother said. Just do something to show how much he cares about Aelita? That's actually a pretty good idea. He smiled and gave his mom a big hug.

"Thanks." Gumball said. "I mean it when I say it, you're the best mom in the whole world." Hearing that made Nicole's heart melt with pride, and she embraced her son once more.

"And you're the best son in the whole world, Everything and all." She said as she nuzzled her son.

* * *

Upstairs, Aelita was in Gumball's room, while Darwin left the room so she could do something private. She was actually trying on some new clothes, ones that Nicole bought for her. The new attire consisted of a yellow dress that almost reached her knees. Over the dress was a dark red long sleeved jacket with a bright pink hood. Underneath was a new pair of pink leggings. New dark red boots also covered her feet. It was a lot better than the old clothes she wore when she came into their home, which were now a bit messed up to even wear anymore.

She looked good in the clothes. But it wasn't going to hide that baby bump though. She only looked down at her stomach, but regardless, she couldn't help but smile. Taking one more glance at the mirror, she gave a slow spin. With everything she had been through, being on the run from the government, spending all those years in a super computer, losing her friends, and being kept in a cell and being experimented on, which left her carrying a child, especially at this young age. Now, things were finally getting better for her. She's now part of a family, something that she's always wanted her whole life. And it's all thanks to Gumball, and his wonderful nature.

"I wonder if Gumball will like this new look." She said. She couldn't help but blush, thinking about the silly cat. She has been thinking about him all day. Actually, she's been thinking about him for the past couple of days. Speaking of which, she was starting to remember when they were cleaning the house, he took off his hoodie and sweater, showing his skinny yet nicely looking upper body. His naked chest and arms with the tuff of fur on the front. He looked so cute... actually... he looked so sexy... and hot.

"Hey, Aelita... you like my nice thin body?"

She opened her eyes real quick as she realized what she was just imagining. She shook her head, trying to get those words out of her mind. Did she just imagine him asking her to ride his... ok, she was probably on the streets for too long. All that time was most likely having a toll on her mental state of mind. Perhaps she was going crazy like her father. No, she thought. She was sane. She just needed a bit of peace of mind. She gave a deep sigh and she laid on the lower bunk bed. She couldn't help but close her eyes a bit, trying to imagine herself somewhere peace and calm. She found herself in a nice field of flowers, where the petals were flying up into the sky. Turning to her left, she saw Gumball, laying on the ground with her.

"Gumball?" She asked.

"Hey, Aelita." He said with a smile.

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

"I dunno." He said. "I don't even know how I got here."

"Oh." She said as she sat down next to him, looking up at the sky with him, seeing the butterflies fly up and into the distance. She then laid there right next to him, and for some reason, her hand moved over to hold his. Taking her grip, the two looked at each other.

"You ok?" He asked.

"Yes, I'm ok." Aelita said as she sat up. The two glanced down to see that they were holding each other's hand. Suddenly, the blue cat wiped his forehead.

"Man, does it feel hot." He said, and lifted himself off the ground.

"Gumball?" She asked as he moved in front of her. He then removed his hoodie, and took off his sweater, revealing his naked upper body once more. Then suddenly, he unbuckled his belt and allowed his pants... and underwear drop to the ground. The girl's eyes widened as she saw her friend... naked.

"Oh my... woof..." She spoke. The blue cat then looked down at himself.

"Whoops." Gumball said. "Too much." He the pulled up his underwear and pants, covering his private parts. Then suddenly, the blue cat approached her and then lowered himself, hovering above her. He then leaned his head, purring as he began nuzzling himself all over her

"Gumball... what are you doing?" she asked, her cheeks blushing red as he continued to nuzzle.

"I don't know." He said, unable to know why he was on top of her. "I don't know why. But I can't help it. If you want me to stop, than tell me."

"I... well..." She spoke, her cheeks turning red, but she didn't feel afraid. The girl looked at him, seeing his face. His beautiful blue eyes and his cute little muzzle and whiskers. Something inside her was telling her to let him be near her. Something inside was telling her to not let him go or leave.

"I guess the silence means you want me to stop." Gumball said. "Sorry." He was about to lift himself up, but the girl responded.

"Wait!" She said, grabbing his wrist, preventing him from getting up. "Don't go..." She said as she slowly pulled him closer to her, right up to their noses touching.

"I don't know what's happening... but I like this." Aelita said. "I... I love this." She gave a warm smile, feeling safe next to him. He too gave a smile and caressed her cheek.

"Kiss me..." He spoke, and the two leaned in until their lips were about to touch.

She opened her eyes, seeing the bottom of the upper bunk bed. She looked around and saw that she was still in Gumball's room, and she was on his bed. Did she just have a dream? Whatever it was, it was of her and Gumball. It was a weird... but she liked it. No, she loved it.

What does this mean, though? Could this mean, that she liked him? Just as much as she liked Jeremie, or how Ulrich liked Yumi? Was this love? Whatever it was, she really liked thinking about the blue cat, whether he was just looking normal, his hood over his head, him trying to mash his face up to look handsome, looking all serious and cool, being naked, showing that funny face he does everytime the family takes a photo, or maybe him sliding his pencil through his nose and out his ear... that last part sounds a bit disturbing but it was actually pretty funny and cute. Just seeing him no matter what he was doing brought a smile to her face.

"Ooh..." She spoke, feeling some minor movement inside her. Looking down at her belly, she touched the surface, feeling the unborn child moving slightly inside her.

"You must know that I'm thinking about him, don't you." She said. She couldn't help but smile. She's talking to her own tummy. Maybe this must be what her mother did when she was growing inside her. For Aelita, despite looking like she had put on a few pounds or that her stomach looked like a soccer ball, she was really liking this look. Some would think it to be weird, but she didn't care.

"So, I'd take they finally let you stay."

The voice caught her attention. Turning to her right, she saw someone that greatly surprised her, but made her smile. The yellow fairy with antlers with beautiful blue eyes.

"Oh, it's you." Aelita said. The fairy gave a smile.

"Yep." She said. "Sorry to drop in unexpectedly."

"Oh, it's ok." Aelita answered. "And yes, they let me stay."

"I'm glad." The fairy said. "I'd knew Mrs. Watterson would let you. She overheard your conversation with Gumball a couple nights ago."

"Yes, she told me that." Aelita said. "Maybe that's why she gave me a hug before she made her decision yesterday."

"Well, I'm very happy for you." The fairy said. "So, how's the little girl holding up in there?" She pointed at the girl's tummy.

"She's doing ok." Aelita said. "I think she likes it when I think about Gumball sometimes." The girl's hand was on her stomach, and though she was happy, she couldn't help but frown.

"You're not planning on keeping her, are you." The fairy said. The girl only sighed in guilt, and stared at the ceiling.

"It's not that I don't." Aelita said. "I always wanted to have kids one day, when I'm ready. But, this was forced upon me through a terrible experiment by the people who kidnapped me. It's like a parasite in my body that is growing inside me until it's ready to come out. I didn't ask for this. But in my heart, I don't want to just get rid of her. I want her to live in a home with a family that can give her what I can't. Does that make me horrible?"

"No, of course not." The fairy said. "If anything, you want what's best for her, right?"

"Yes." Aelita said. "That's why I have to let her go."

"Well, I'm sure you'll find someone who'll take care of her." The fairy said. "Though there aren't a lot of good familes here that know about love. Even if you don't, I'm sure things will work out."

"Mrs. Watterson is already making arrangements." Aelita said. "Until then, I'm just gonna keep carrying her until she's ready to come out. So far she likes it in here in her, what Gumball would say, one room apartment." The two giggled at the joke.

"So... you like Gumball, don't you?" The fairy asked, where the girl next to her widened her eyes hearing that.

"Oh, well... I...!" Aelita spoke, showing red all over her cheeks. "Well, I have been thinking about him all day. He is cute... especially when he's making those funny faces." The two gave a happy laugh.

"Well, since you like him, why not... you know." The fairy said, giving a wink. The girl realized what the fairy meant. Further their friendship to that of romance?

"What?!" Aelita asked. "Oh no no no, it's not like that at all!"

"Really?" The fairy asked as she leaned in. "What about the dream you had of him being naked?" The girl froze and blushed as she heard that.

"How did you?" She asked, but then she sighed in defeat. "Ok, ok, maybe I do like him a lot. But, he probably doesn't feel the same way."

"Oh come on, he likes you." The fairy said. "I know by the way he was having a panic attack." The girl's eyes widened.

"Wait, he was having a panic attack?!" She asked in surprise. "Oh, he must be suffering!" The fairy gave a giggle at the girl's response. "What's so funny?"

"See, you worry about him." The fairy said. "That means you do like-like him." The girl was about to speak up, but then she stopped and started thinking. She was thinking about him for the past couple days, she was starting to show a lot of concern hearing he had a panic attack, and the dream she just had of him. Maybe that was it. Maybe she really did like-like him... or maybe she's falling in love with him. To be honest, anyone would think that would be weird since Gumball's different from her, but yet, she actually liked it... a lot.

"Ok, I guess I really do like-like him." Aelita said. "But... what do I do?"

"Well, let him know." The fairy said.

"How?" Aelita asked.

"Just tell him how you feel from your heart." The fairy said. "Let your heart speak." The girl thought about it for a second. Maybe that's it. Maybe she just needs to speak her heart out to him.

"Ok." She said. "Thank you."

"No problem." The fairy said. Pretty soon, the girl got up from the bed and made her way to the door. She then stopped for a second, remembering that she never had the chance to ask the fairy her name.

"Oh, I almost forgot." The girl said as she turned around. But to her surprise, the fairy was gone. She was no longer there. She felt a bit sad for a moment, but she smiled. The fairy probably had to go. But Aelita's certain she'll see her again. And next time she can ask what her name is. Until then, it'll have to wait. She had to talk with Gumball first. The girl made her way to the door, and opened it. She stopped and almost gasped. Right there before her was a small bunny wearing an orange dress. It was Anais, Gumball's little sister.

"Oh, sorry, Anais." Aelita said with a smile. "I didn't see you there." Anais however, didn't look too happy to see her though.

"Oh, it's _you_." Anais said, her voice sounding unwelcoming. "Sorry for startling you Miss Stones, but I have to get some things in here."

"Oh, well then I'll just be out of your way then." Aelita said. "But if you want help getting them, I can-." Then suddenly, Anais lifted her head up, showing a cold glare to the girl.

"You know what, let's just cut to the chase." Anais said.

"The chase?" Aelita asked, right when the bunny gripped her hand on the girl's dress, pulling the girl to her level, making her see her resentful face.

"Listen here, Miss Stones... or whoever you are." Anais said, her tone sounding much more cold. "You may have fooled Gumball and my family, but you haven't fooled me. Just so we're clear, I'm the only voice of reason in this family and nobody else. Got it?"

"Um... I'm sorry, what are you-" Aelita said, surprised by the the little girl's tone.

"Shut it." Anais said, releasing her grip from the girl, allowing her to stand up normally again. "Let me get this through your little brain. I don't like you. Not your hair, not your eyes, not your clothes, and definitely that little piss pot you're carrying in your gut." The girl almost leaned back by the bunny's cruel words.

"Anais, that's not really nice to say." Aelita said, feeling a little afraid rather than hurt.

"What, you gonna tell on my mom?" Anais asked. "Oh please, it's gonna take more than that to. You don't even know what I can be capable of if someone ever crosses me."

"Y...You don't know a thing about me." Aelita said.

"Do I?" Anais asked. "Aelita Hopper-Schaeffer? Daughter of the infamous Franz Hopper Schaeffer? The man who stole military files and betraying the government?" The girl's eyes widened with surprise, and tints of fear. How did she know about her father? There's no way Gumball could've told her, and Nicole wouldn't do that either.

"H...how..." Aelita asked.

"I've done my homework." Anais said. "Done some investigation and found out everything. If you're feeling scared right now, then you should be... BOO!" Her sudden jerk toward her and shout made Aelita almost lose her balance, dropping to the floor on her back.

"Wow, you really do get frightened easily." Anais said. "So tell me... Aelita Hopper-Schaeffer, what were doing in my brother's room anyway?" Seeing the bunny slowly approach her, the girl was able to pull herself away from her.

"Ummm... well, I was just... trying on the clothes that your mother gave to me." Aelita said, moving backwards across the floor, away from the bunny.

"Is that so?" Anais asked, moving toward the girl. "Or maybe you were in here thinking about my brother, weren't you."

"Uh... well... uh..." Aelita said, her cheeks beginning to redden.

"That answers that question." Anais said, cornering Aelita to the wall, and the bunny took another step toward her close to her face.

"Now listen here Miss Hopper... or Schaeffer..." The bunny continued. "I don't know how you managed to outrun the government, or how you still look like a fourteen year-old. But if you think you're safe being here, think again. I'm just gonna say this loud and clear. You don't belong here. You don't deserve to be a part of this family, nor do you deserve Gumball, so why don't you just do us a favor and leave now."

"I have no where else to go." Aelita said.

"Of course you do." Anais said. "A cell where you should be locked up. After all, your dad stole stuff from the government, and you knew what he was doing, so that makes you an accomplice, and if you're an accomplice, you're a criminal... and I don't like criminals... or prostitutes in your case." While she was speaking, the bunny glanced down at the girl's bump in her tummy and began to tap her fingers on it, making the girl blink in worry.

"I'm not a prostitute." Aelita said.

"Oh really?" Anais asked, opening her hand up to gently touch the girl's belly. "Then how did you end up caring this little runt? The only possible way you look fat with a fetus is by having sex with people. To think a girl your age would be out going and doing all these things is disgusting." The bunny then pressed her hand a bit on the girl's stomach, making her feel uncomfortable.

"Please, don't." She said.

"So tell me." Anais said. "How many creeps did you open your legs for?"

"I didn't open my legs to anyone!" Aelita said.

"So that means you were forced to open them?" Anais asked. "Yet still you allowed them to do so. I'm surprised this little runt didn't die inside your cunt." Hearing that response made Aelita almost gasp. How could a six year-old bunny say such horrible things, let alone being so threatening? It's like she has no soul.

"You don't know what I've been through." Aelita said, feeling scared. "The people who were after me killed the only friends who ever cared about me! They placed me in a room and did experiments on me! I was out on the streets alone for the past few months, forced to do things against my will. Can't you at least feel sorry?"

"No, but I would've loved to see you suffer though." Anais said. "Now you may be living with us, but that doesn't mean I have to like you. So you should watch yourself. Or..." The bunny glances back at the girl's stomach, and places her own foot on it gently, as if she was going to stomp on it. "You or your little slut baby may get hurt."

"Stop It!" Aelita said, fearing the bunny might hurt her baby. "Don't hurt her!"

"Why?" Anais asked, her foot gently touching the surface of the girl's tummy, and her toes slowly pressing harder into it. "You don't want it, remember? So why not do you a favor and get rid of it."

"Stop!" Aelita said. "She's not an it! Please, don't hurt her!"

"Or else what?" Anais asked with a dark smile. The girl was about to speak, but she couldn't find the words to speak. The bunny smiled grimmly, lifting her foot off the girl's stomach. "That's what I thought... so let me make myself clear. You stay out of my way or you'll regret. And more importantly, you stay away from Gumball. He's mine, and no one is gonna take him away from me."

"He's yours?" Aelita asked, wondering about the threat. "Why? Are you in love with your own brother or something?" Then suddenly, Anais froze in place, and her cheeks went red.

"Uuuuhhhhhh..." She said, her dark tone replaced to a nervous one, her face turning white as a sheet as if she was hiding something. Aelita's eyes widened herself on realization. Anais has a crush on her own brother? Aelita then smiled like a sly fox, finally having the courage to speak.

"Oh my gosh..." Aelita said. "You are in love with your brother." Anais' face went white completely with shock. The girl has discovered her most hidden secret!

"No!" Anais tried to say. "I don't like him like that!" But her blush marks were getting stronger by the second.

"Of course you do." Aelita said as she sat up more comfortably. "You're even blushing at the sound of it." The pink bunny tried to cover her cheeks, but the blushes were too bright to cover up.

"Shut Up!" Anais shouted. "Just stay away from Gumball, or you'll be sorry!"

"Well you know what, that's not for you to decide." Aelita said. "If Gumball wants to spend time with me, that's his choice to make, not yours."

"I'm warning you!" Anais shouted, showing her angry face, the face she made when she was trying to get her mother to take her to the Daisy the Donkey on Ice show.

"But you should know that it's actually forbidden for a brother and sister to love each other in that sort of way." Aelita said. "Plus, you're not exactly old enough for a boy at Gumball's age. Gumball likes mature girls, not little cute ones with a bad temper." Hearing that made Anais's face show even more hate and anger.

"How dare you..." Anais said, showing her resentful face once again. But instead of being afraid, Aelita couldn't help but smile. Anais may know about her father, and she thinks she can mess with her, but that's not gonna stop Aelita from being accepted by her family. And besides, now that she knows the bunny's dirty little secret, she can fight back.

"And you know what?" Aelita asked. "I'm not gonna stay away from Gumball. Like I said, If he wants to spend time with me and let me into his life, then I'll be in his life. He was there for me in my time of need, so I'll do the same for him. And to tell you the truth Anais, yes, I was thinking about him. And I think he's amazing, especially when he has his shirt off. He's so cute that I wanna kiss him all over. In fact... you wanna know a little secret, Anais?" The girl leaned over to Anais' ear and whispered.

"I want him inside me..." She whispered. As the girl made kissy faces and talked how much she liked Gumball, Anais stood there, taking in what the girl was saying. Hearing how much she wants to kiss him, began to fuel the bunny with so much rage and hatred.

"I Freaking Hate You, You Harlot!" Anais shouted, grabbing the girl by the front part of her hood. "You stay away from my brother, or I'll slice your gut open and rip that little runt right of your cunt!"

"Anais?" a voice spoke behind her. Anais' eyes shrunk with shock and fear. She slowly turned her head, to see Gumball staring at the two in the doorway. To be honest, Anais didn't know if she was glad that it wasn't Nicole, because if it was her, then she'd be in real trouble. But it was just Gumball, but maybe it would've been bad. Regardless, the blue cat came into the room.

"What's going on here?" He asked. Anais looked at her brother, and then at Aelita, who glanced back at her.

"Uhhhh... nothing, big brother!" Anais said as she lifted her hands off Aelita's hood front and hugged the girl's head, though there was distaste in her words. "Me and Aelita here were just playing... cops and robbers, yeah!" Gumball looked at his sister carefully, then at Aelita. He couldn't tell, but something in his gut was telling him that something was not right. Yet, Aelita didn't look like she was threatened so yeah. He shrugged, and approached the girl.

"Well... Aelita, since you're staying with us now, I figured that I should probaby show you around town." Gumball said. "Do you wanna go to the mall?"

"Oh, well I-" Aelita said, until the bunny next to her shot at threatening face, almost making the girl silent. It appears Anais was telling her not to go with him, or someone's gonna get hurt bad.

Wait. What was she doing? Taking threats from a six year-old? Anais may be smart, but she can't boss her around like that, let alone threaten to harm her. Something was telling her to accept Gumball's offer. Either it was her heart, her courage, maybe the fairy's words of encouragement, or the baby moving in her womb. She then gave a smile and got to her feet.

"Yes, I would love to Gumball." Aelita said, extending her hand out, allowing Gumball to take it.

"Excellent!" Gumball said. "C'mon!" He helped her out of the room, while Anais just stood there, watching the girl take her brother's hand. No way she was going to let that happen! She followed them out of the room and made her way towards the steps, seeing Gumball at the bottom and Aelita almost halfway down.

"You asked for it, you little bitch..." Anais hissed in her mind. She went down the steps and while no one was looking. She pushed Aelita by the leg, making the girl fall forward.

"WHOA!" She shouted as she was about to fall down the steps. Gumball turned around, and saw what was happening. He opened his arms out and caught the girl in his embrace, breaking her fall. They tumbled back a little, but not on the floor. They were safe and ok.

"Gumball, are you ok?" Aelita asked, with the blue cat opening his eyes.

"Yeah, are you?" He asked.

"Yeah, I guess I tripped." Aelita said, not knowing it was Anais who pushed her down. The two of them then realized that they were in each other's arms. The two stared at each other for a second, and suddenly, they couldn't help but laugh at this funny situation. Hearing those two laugh happily made Anais growl and frown even more, with her bunny teeth digging into her lower lip. She didn't succeed in pushing her down, she only succeeded in getting them closer! Damn it, she thought. Pretty soon, the girl and cat boy jumped back up to their feet.

"So, you ready to go?" Gumball asked.

"Definitely." Aelita said as the two held each other's hands. Anais started to panic. She was not gonna let that knocked up whore go with her brother! She had to act fast. She jumped forward.

"WAIT!" Anais shouted as she jumped up to Gumball and held him tightly with her arms.

"What the?" Gumball asked.

"Gumball, Wait!" Anais said. "Don't leave, we were going to watch _A Pony's Tail _together!" The blue cat looked at the bunny in confusion.

"What?" Gumball asked. "No we weren't. And besides, you hate that movie, remember?"

"Don't care, let's do something together!" Anais said. "Anything you want!"

"But I already have plans." Gumball said.

"With what?" Anais asked.

"I was going to show Aelita around town... You just heard me ask her." Gumball said. Anais tried her best not to show any resent or anger.

"Then can I come with you?" Anais asked. "Pwetty Pwease?"

"Actually Anais, I just want to spend time with Aelita, just the two of us... alone." Gumball said.

"What?!" Anais asked with an angry expression, but then halted her anger and hesitated. "I mean... uh... Why?"

"Well, since she's staying with us now, I want her to feel comfortable around town." Gumball said.

"But I wanna come!" Anais said, tugging her brother tightly.

"You can't come." Gumball said, then looked back at Aelita. "I'm sorry, my sister isn't usually like this... come to think of it, she's never like this."

"I think I know why." Aelita said playfully. "She must really love her big brother."

"Of course I do, _It's Normal!_" Anais growled, hugging the blue cat tightly.

"Uh, can you wait outside for a minute?" Gumball asked Aelita. "This might take a minute."

"Oh, ok." Aelita said as she stepped out the door, closing it behind her, leaving Gumball and Anais alone. The blue cat pulled himself out of Anais' embrace.

"Anais, what is your problem?!" Gumball asked.

"Nothing." Anais said. "I don't have a problem."

"Well apparently you do." Gumball said. "Why are you even wanting to come along anyway?"

"Because... because... because I want to spend some quality time with you." Anais said, calming her tone down.

"But you hate spending time with me, remember?" Gumball asked. "I can hardly recall all the times you and I hung out on one hand. Less than one hand, actually. Plus, you haven't done any favors for me. You won't even help me with my homework anymore." Anais only rolled her eyes.

"That's because you never asked." Anais said.

"Of course I do." Gumball said. "Whenever I ask, you go, 'no way, go do it yourself'." He began to imitate her on the last words. Anais was about to speak, but she then remembered that she had said that countless times. This was a losing battle for her, but she was not going to let her big brother hang out with that skank.

"Alright, time for the big guns." Anais whispered to herself. She looked up at him, and began to show her cute puppy dog eyes.

"Oh Gumball, please let me spend some time with you." She said with a cute voice. "That's what big brothers are suppose to do." Gumball knew that she was doing the puppy dog eyes again, so he decided to do them too.

"But Anais, I want to spend time with Aelita." He said, making a cute voice too.

"But you're my big brother..." Anais said cutely.

"But we can spend time tomorrow." Gumball said. Anais tried to increase the power of her cute face, while Gumball did the same. But Anais's face was becoming more powerful, making Gumball cringe a bit.

"I can spend the day with her." Turning their heads toward Darwin, who suddenly appeared in the room.

"You?" Gumball and Anais asked.

"Yeah, I'm her brother too, so I'll fill in for you." Darwin said.

"WHAT?!" Anais asked.

"Oh thank you Darwin, you're my life savior." Gumball said as he hugged his fish brother. Anais could only show a face of hatred toward Darwin, who she actually hates the most of all.

"No!" Anais said. "I don't wanna hang out with fish breath, here! I want to spend time with you!"

"Listen, here, sis!" Gumball said, trying to keep a smile, but the scowl of his eyebrows showed that he was getting annoyed. "I'm trying to be nice here, so please stop doing what you're doing, or I don't know what'll I do!" The bunny only raised an eyebrow.

"Alright... I didn't want to do this, but you left me with no other choice." Anais said. She took a deep breath, and then began to show a cringed face, as if she was ready to cry... or... Gumball quickly realized what she was going to do.

"Oh, no you don't." Gumball said. Anais began to cringe some more. "Don't... you... dare..." Anais then squinted her eyes, and started screaming.

"NOOOO!" She shouted in a fit. "I Want To Spend Time With You! I Want My Brother! I Want Gumball! I Want Gumball!" She then thew herself to the ground and began pounding with her fists and flailing her legs, showing the most biggest tantrum the world has ever seen. The sight made Gumball and Darwin cringe mostly in surprise.

"Dude, what's up with her?" Darwin asked.

"I don't know!" Gumball said. "She hasn't done something like this since that time Mom lost her cool at the Mall!" Before he knew it, Anais grabbed upon Gumball's legs, tugging on him.

"I Want Gumball! I Want Gumball!" She shouted. As she continued screaming, the blue cat tried pulling his legs free, but his ranting sister was making it difficult for him to move.

"MOM!" Gumball called out. "I need assistance!"

"Assistance, for what?" Nicole asked as she made her way to the stairs from her room, but then she stopped, seeing Gumball trying to move, with Anais screaming and pulling on his feet to prevent him from leaving.

"What is going on here?" Nicole asked.

"I don't know, I want to take Aelita around town, and now all of a sudden, Anais is throwing a fit!" Gumball said.

"I Want To Spend Time With Gumball!" Anais shouted, as Nicole looked with confusion.

"Ok, that is unordinary." Nicole said.

"Uh... mom, can I go please?" Gumball asked.

"Yes, that's probably a good idea." Nicole said. "You have fun honey."

"Ok." Gumball said.

"NOOO!" Anais shouted as she grabbed her brother's legs. "I Want Gumball! I Want Gumball!"

"Anais, let me go!" The blue cat said. "Mom, help please!"

"Sure thing, honey." Nicole said as she picked Anais up with her hands, trying to pull her off of her son's legs, but Anais was flailing her arms as she was pulled from her brother.

"I'll be back later." Gumball said as he opened the door, falling backwards onto the porch. He quickly came to, seeing Aelita glancing down at him.

"Gumball, are you alright?" Aelita asked.

"Oh yeah!" Gumball said as he got up. "I'm good! I'm good!"

"GUMBALL!" Anais screamed. Looking back inside, they saw Anais, flaing her arms around while Nicole held her up and kept her from going after them.

"Have fun, you two!" Nicole said with a chirpy smile. Gumball gave a nervous laugh and closed the door. He let out a sigh of relief. That felt strange though. Anais never acted like that before.

"Is she ok?" Aelita askd.

"I don't know." Gumball said. "She's not like this at all. C'mon, let's go." The two then departed off the porch, while back inside, Anais kept screaming. But when the door closed, the pink bunny gave a grunt of disappointment.

"Are you done?" Nicole asked.

"Yes, I'm done." Anais said as she jumped out of her mother's arms. "Thanks a lot, mom."

"Anais, what has gotten into you, young lady?" Nicole asked.

"Nothing." Anais said.

"Well it doesn't sound like it." Nicole said. "You're not usually like this."

"She is physically a six year-old." Darwin said. "She's probably hitting that time of the month."

"Darwin, she's six years-old, she's not sixteen." Nicole said.

"I know, but I'm not talking about _that_ time of the month." Darwin said. "I'm talking about where a girl begins to act wild and crazy."

"Shut up Fishboy, nobody asked you!" Anais said, making Nicole gasp. She heard her own daughter call Darwin fishboy? That was new... and unpleasant.

"Anais, what is the matter with you?" Nicole asked.

"I just want to spend time with Gumball." Anais said.

"He doesn't want to right now." Nicole said. "He wants to spend time with Aelita."

"But... wh... Why?" Anais asked.

"Because I said, he wants to take Aelita around town." Nicole said. "You can spend some time with him tomorrow. Let him go."

"What?!" Anais asked. "What kind of a mother are you?! You're just gonna let him hang out with that... that... that pregnant slut?!" Nicole and Darwin gave surprised gasps.

"_Anais Elizabeth Watterson_, how dare you say such things!" Nicole said.

"Yeah!" Darwin said. "Aelita is a french slut, not a pregnant slut." Hearing what Darwin said made Nicole facepalm herself.

"No, Darwin, slut is a word that means... um." She said, but not wanting to say it out loud. She leaned in and whispered what the word meant into his ear. After she explained it, Darwin's eyes widened.

"Oooooh, that makes sense." Darwin said, but then gasped. "Anais, how can you say that about her?!"

"Well sorry if she can't keep her legs closed." Anais said.

"That's enough!" Nicole said. "Anais, I really don't like your attitude toward Aelita. She's been through a lot already, so can you at least be a little nicer to her?"

"Why should I?" Anais asked. "I didn't give my consent of having her stay here with us!"

"I'm sorry, are you the grown up here?" Nicole asked.

"No." Anais said. "But I don't see why you guys like her so much?"

"Well, me and Gumball like her, Mrs. Mom likes her, and Mr. Dad likes her, and apparently you don't." Darwin said.

"Oh, everybody likes Alita!" Anais said. "It's all about Alita, Anita, Abita."

"Her name is Aelita." Nicole said.

"I...I don't care!" Anais shouted. "I don't like her!"

"What are you talking about?" Darwin asked. "Weren't you happy with Aelita staying with us? You were like, 'yay, she gets to stay', with that weird smile on your face."

"I was being sarcastic, block-head." Anais said.

"Anais, don't call your brother that!" Nicole said. "And I want you to start showing Aelita a little more respect. She is staying with us and you're gonna have to deal with it!"

"But what if the cops come by and ask about her father's crazy illegal activites?" Anais asked. "I don't care if she was kidnapped or anything! She has no right to stay with us, and you letting her stay with us is just showing that you're probably the dumbest mom in the world!" The bunny quickly covered her mouth, realizing what she just said. Nicole and Darwin gasped.

"Oh boy..." Darwin said as he looked at Nicole, who stood there speechless at her daughter, who just backtalked her and called her stupid! She then made a serious and angry glare, the face she always makes either when Richard forgets something or when the kids do something bad.

"Uh... Oopsie." Anais said with a nervous smile. She then cringed to expect the worse. But then, Nicole stopped herself, and took a deep breath through her nose, calming herself down.

"Keep it together Nicole." she said. "Remember what Aelita said, just keep a firm attitude." She took a deep breath and sighed. She then placed her hands on her hips.

"Anais, go to your room." Nicole spoke as she pointed up the stairs. "You're grounded for the rest of the day."

"WHAT?!" Anais asked in surprise. "But... But... Are You Kidding Me?!"

"No butts, young lady." Nicole said. "You should never backtalk to a grownup like that, not even to your own mother. Now go to your room and think about what you said." The little bunny was about to speak, but she halted, realizing that would only anger her mother more. She sighed and went up he steps in silence, going into her room. Darwin looked up the stairs and gave a happy giggle.

"Darwin, don't laugh at your sister." Nicole said.

"Sorry Mrs. Mom, but the look on her face when she was pouting like that was amusing." Darwin said. "I'll treasure that memory forever."

* * *

Back upstairs, the little punished bunny went into her room and gave an irritated grunt. How could they send her up here, allowing her brother to spend time with that human skank who can't even keep her legs closed? Anais only sat on her bed.

"I can't believe this." She said. "How could mom kiss that little whore's feet like that, while she is trying to steal my big brother!" She wanted to get angry more. But then, she sighed. Throwing a tantrum was not going to solve it. Taking a quick scan of her own room, seeing that she was the only one. The bunny then rushed over and turned the lock on the door, so no one would dare come inside. After that, she quickly reached under her pillow, picking up a strange switch. Clicking on it, a secret door opened up. There was a secret closet that housed something very important, that no one else knows about. Inside it was an actual life-sized plushy of Gumball. She only took a sigh, and lifted the arm up. She gave a smile, her cheeks turning red, and she hugged it tightly, nuzzling the cheeks affectionately.

"Oh, Gumball..." She whispered, and started to kiss the plushy all over, which proceeded with her laying on the floor with it, snuggling with it, not letting it go.

Believe it or not, Anais truly did have a crush on her own brother. It is strange for that since when she was a newborn baby, she actually despised him and she tried to kill him more times than one. That is until he saved her from being killed by a trap that she set for him, and that lovably happiness of his killed her with kindness and love, and she eventually began to love him like a big brother, in secret that is.

Over the next couple of years when Gumball went through puberty thirteen, she saw him in a new light, a much more cuter handsome way. She realized at that moment that she was developing a crush on him, or a Big Brother Complex. The term is where the younger sister usually idolizes her big brother, either in high regard, or romantically. In Anais' case, it was the latter. She tried to deny these feelings because she knew it was wrong. He was her brother, and the therapist explained that it was mostly a condition that she can overcome. After all, incest was very wrong and was not allowed in most parts of the world. Her feelings however, were too strong, and she accepted them. Nobody else knows about this, for this was something she kept private.

The bunny then took in a deep sniff from the plushy, mostly the hoodie it was wearing. It was actually one of Gumball's own hoodies, that hasn't been washed in... probably weeks. That's because Anais loved her brother's scent, and it made her feel arroused.

As she finished kissing the plushy on the cheeks, she then sighed in sadness. If only the real Gumball would love her the way she loves him. How could he instead like that little knocked up slut who's nothing more but a fugitive? She couldn't help but shed a tear. Then, turning her head, she saw a familiar doll near her bed. It was her Daisy the Donkey doll, the one that her parents got her on Christmas day. She was a big fan of Daisy the Donkey, a silly cartoon show that is suppose to teach the world about happiness and friendship, though some would say that it's actually dumbing down the entire child population.

Regardless, she loved the show, and her doll, for they were the only things that kept her sane in her home.

"Oh Daisy, today has been so terrible." Anais said to the doll. "I was trying to teach that girl that I was the common sense in this family. But she had the nerve to talk me down like that. Now she has the whole family giving her attention, and she's trying to take my brother from me." She let out a sigh, and snuggled with her Daisy doll.

"At least you understand my feelings, Daisy." The bunny said.

"Of course Anais, you know that I'm the only one who does." The voice actually came from Anais' own mouth. A little something when it comes with being a little kid, is that children have imaginations, and sometimes those imaginations become real to them. Nobody could tell that if they're pretending, or if what they're thinking of is another part in their mind.

"Yeah." Anais said. "How could they like that girl and make her feel like she's the whole world."

"I don't know. But I will tell you this though. She's a big fat slut!"

"Daisy, language!" Anais said with a gasp.

"Why? You don't like her. I don't like her. So why bother being nice to her."

"Yeah... you're right." Anais said.

"And you're just gonna let her take your big brother away from you?"

"No!" Anais said.

"Then, what's stopping you?" The bunny realized what Daisy is trying to tell her, or maybe it's the other part of her mind.

"You're right Daisy." Anais said. "My brother is in trouble, and there's no way I'm gonna let that wench take him away from me! I'm going to save my brother!" She then got up from the floor and glanced at the window. Looking outside, she saw Gumball and Aelita walking down the sidewalk, both of them were talking.

"So we're going to the mall?" Aelita asked.

"Yep." Gumball said. "It's pretty much one of the only places that seem enjoyable to go to. So, what do you want to do first when we get there?"

"Well, I'm not sure." Aelita said. "What do you want to do?"

"Um... maybe get something to eat?" Gumball asked. "The mall just opened a new restaurant down there. I heard it's a great place." The girl then began to think.

"Well, come to think of it, I am getting pretty hungry." Aelita said, though she glanced down at her tummy, seeing her bump. "Actually, I think we're both hungry."

"Then let's go get something to eat." Gumball said. "Whatever you want, you name it." The blue cat then lowers himself, and leans his head on the girl's tummy.

"Don't worry little girl." Gumball spoke. "We'll get whatever you want too." As the two kept walking down the street, Anais only gave a glare from her window.

"I'm gonna show that little tramp who's boss!" Anais said, but took a look in her room, seeing that the Gumball plushy was on the ground.

"Right after I tidy up." Anais said as she placed her Daisy doll back on her bed. She then opened her dresser and pulled out new clothes. Discarding her orange dress, she placed on a black shirt, a black Velcro hat, and some pants. She placed the Gumball plushy back into the secret spot and hid it well, but not before she gave it a long peck on the lips. She opened her window from the inside, and took a bag of tools and equipment with her. Climbing out the window, she closed it behind her and descended from the roof, and followed the two with determination and hatred. The Daisy doll rested on the bed, until it turned to the viewer.

"That was me talking..." She whispered with an angry smile.

* * *

**Well, that's the end of this chapter! You guys liked the Nurse Redheart cameo? Yes, she made a human appearance in this story.**

**Speaking of MLP, I do plan to feature the MLP cast, especially the Mane Six in this story, and not as humans, but as actual ponies. Unfortunately, they won't have much of a big role in this story, as it will be a bit of a cameo, but even small roles have important ones.**

**So anyway, this was a fun chapter to write, experimenting with what people experience when they begin to fall in love with someone. The dreams were to be a bit more erotic, but I toned it down a bit.**

**Also, the box scene is pretty much a remake / reference to the SpongeBob Box Episode. Yes, I know SpongeBob has some hate on the yellow sponge among some of you, and believe me, I don't watch the show anymore because of how annoying and stupid it has gotten, but it did play a role in my early life when I was a kid, and the show's earlier seasons when Stephen Hillenburg (may he rest in peace) was in charge were actually really good, and I will admit, the 20th Anniversary Birthday Blowout was also pretty good too, especially the voice cast's live action scene, and the Battle for Bikini Bottom video game was awesome. The remake will be released next year!**

**Also, the McBrides have their cameo... ****That means someone who is a friend of their son will be playing a huge role in this story. Who is he? You're gonna have to wait and see.**

**So anyway, Gumball's taking Aelita on a little date, while Anais is gonna stalk them and try to mess it up. Next chapter is gonna be fun, and it's gonna have some big reveals involving our little blue cat. It's been a while since we saw those black and yellow eyes and demonic claws... hint. hint.**


	11. Chapter 11: The Date

**Ok, here's the next chapter! Gumball and Aelita are going on a little date, and it's gonna be something. There will also be some foreshadowing here and there for future chapters.**

**Sorry, but I can't help shipping these two so much. It may look unordinary, but I like it.**

_**UPDATE****: Chapter has been updated with minor changes!**_

* * *

_**Chapter 11: Date Night**_

It was now somewhere later in the day, around 4:15 PM after they left the Watterson household. Gumball and Aelita were just roaming the streets to their destination. It was a long walk, but it was very nice though. Peaceful and pretty. The temperature was actually not hot that day, which was a bit odd since it was Summertime. Guess the heat wave finally let up or a cold front must've breezed in. Either way, it was a nice day for the two of them.

Now they were at the Elmore Mall, which was pretty much the big papa for all the stores in town. It had a lot of great places to shop from, such as Joyful Burger, Food N Stuff, Laser Video, Skates R Us, the Cinema, the Pet Store, the Tattoo Store, everything! And the Mall was everyone's playground to explore and buy stuff. The two entered the building, where Aelita was very astonished by the view of the mall. It was pretty big. She had never been inside a mall like this before. In fact, the town she used to be back at Kadic Academy never had anything like this.

"Wow." Aelita said. "This place is pretty big."

"Yeah, it sure is." Gumball said as the two continued to walk down the hall, passing some of the stores the mall housed inside.

"So, where is this place we're going to?" Aelita asked.

"It's a pretty neat restaurant just around the corner." Gumball said. "It's got nice food, all kinds of things, and they got an _All You Can Eat Buffet_."

"Wow, that's nice." Aelita said. "Back in my old school we usually just ate from the Cafeteria. Usually it's just soup, mashed potatoes and whatever beverage they got."

"Really?" Gumball asked. "That sounds pretty cheap. Well, you won't find anything like that here though. It's like a banquet fit for a king and queen. Enjoy it for today, because this will probably be the only time we eat at some place like this."

"Why's that?" Aelita asked.

"Because, the place here is expensive." Gumball said. "But luckily for us, I heard today is where the buffet is free, so this is a good opportunity to try it out."

"Wow, ok." Aelita said as they approached the building which displayed _The Grand Diner_, one of the recently new, but quite famous restaurant in the mall, well known for it's luxury design, lovely music, and high quality meals, and it was pretty expensive. Really expensive. As they opened the door, a strange man with an origami head lifted his head up quickly and frantically, showing that he must've been asleep for a little bit. He wore a green shirt, orange tie and a red badge with a diagonal stripe down the middle, and an orange hat with red and white stripe. He lower body was covered with black pants and shoes.

This was Larry Needlemeyer, and he's pretty much a very hard working and serious person, one that cannot be fooled easily, unless you give him some money. He's keeps a lot of jobs around Elmore, such as being a store clerk or cashier, and does a fantastic job at each of them. With that many jobs, he should be rich. But it seems that he gets paid very little.

He was actually the cashier and waiter here at the Grand Diner. He actually booked the position here after his last job went to ruins. That old job, is better left not to be known.

"Welcome to the Grand Diner where we serve food and never sleep because we're not allowed to..." He spoke out positively until worry came on the last words.

"Hey Larry." Gumball spoke out, getting the Origami rock man's attention, seeing the blue cat and the girl in front of his desk before him.

"Oh, it's just you." Larry said, unamused to see the blue cat. He and Gumball have some history, where the latter would unintentionally do something that would get Larry fired from his job, or get Larry robbed easily. It's complicated to explain. While Larry was unamused to see Gumball, he was actually a bit surprised when he turned his attention toward Aelita.

"Oh, who the girl with a soccer ball sized stomach?" Larry asked, making Gumball gasp

"Excuse me Larry, she is an expecting mother, and she happens to be my g..._friend_! Just a friend..." Gumball said, quickly saying friend before saying girl before hand. The origami rock's eyes widened as he heard that.

"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry, ma'am." Larry said.

"Oh, it's quite alrght." Aelita said.

"Anyway, what can I do for you two?" Larry asked.

"We'd like a table for three, please." Gumball said.

"Three?" Larry questioned. "But there's only two of you."

"No, there's three of us." Gumball said, pointing to himself, to Aelita, and placing his hand on her stomach. "She is eating and seating for two."

"Oh, that makes sense." Larry said. "So, what would you two like? The buffet or just regular."

"The buffet, please." Gumball and Aelita said in unison, making them look at each other and blush.

"Alright, and we have the Eating for Two discount, so that will be $14.99." Larry said. Gumball's eyes opened up in surprise.

"Wait, I thought the _All You Can Eat Buffet_ was free today." Gumball said.

"Well, not for regular people." Larry said. "It's a _Couples Eat for Free_ Special today, and you can only get the buffet if you're a couple. But I won't lie, you two certainly look like a cute couple."

"Oh, actually, we're not... uh..." Gumball said, getting all nervous, that is until he felt two arms around his right. He turned to see Aelita.

"We are." She said. "We are a cute couple."

"Huh?" Gumball asked as he blushed.

"You are?" Larry asked, sounding unconvinced. "I thought you guys said that you were just friends."

"Oh, he's just to shy to admit it." Aelita said, looking at the blue cat and giving him a wink. That moment, he realized what she was doing. If they want to get in for free, they just have to pretend to be a couple. Great idea! That made him like her even more.

"Yes, of course." Gumball said. "We're just waiting until the time is right to let our relationship known to everybody." At first, Larry was a bit skeptical, but he gave a shrug and a smile.

"That's splendid!" Larry said. "Allow me to escort you two to your seats."

"Oh, thanks Larry." Gumball said with a happy wave, as he and the girl followed the origami man to their tables, unaware of Anais, dressed in her black clothes, peeping inside the building.

* * *

Sometime had pass, and the two were eating whatever was at the buffet. There was a lot of variety there, such as veggies, fruits, chicken, different meats, cheese, beans, and all kinds of fine dined foods you would find at any other restaurant. Aelita was actually enjoying the selection she picked out. Probably because she hadn't ate anything this good for a long time. She had been on the streets for a while and she almost forgot how good the food tasted. Another reason was because since she was carrying a baby inside her, she was even more hungry. Girls usually consume a lot more food whenever they're pregnant, and that is what is called cravings.

As she continued to eat, Gumball only sat there, staring at her with a smile. She didn't care if she was eating. Just seeing her made him smile. She looked so beautiful, even if she was eating.

"Gumball, are you ok?" Aelita asked. The blue cat was brought back to reality by her question.

"Huh." Gumball said.

"You haven't eaten your meal yet." She said. Gumball then looked down at his plate, realizing that he hasn't ate yet.

"Oh, sorry." Gumball said. "Thanks for letting me know. I love you, Aelita."

"What?" Aelita asked.

"What?" Gumball asked, realizing what he just said, his face starting to turn red in embarrassment. The girl was about to speak, but not wanting to get to that subject, he took the plate and quickly tipped the plate over his mouth, putting everything that was on it into his mouth. He then started chewing and eating with his mouth completely full, almost the same way as he chewed up Anais's lunch when he babysat for her, which ended up getting the house flooded, which she caused. He then noticed that Aelita watching a bit confused. Flustered, Gumball gulped the whole thing down. In about five seconds, the blue cat gave a nervous smile, showing his teeth covered in lettace, meat, and cheese. Seeing this only brought a smile to the girl's face, and a chuckle.

"What?" Gumball asked.

"Nothing." Aelita said with a smile as she finished her plate. The blue cat turned his head with a blush, but then an idea came to his mind.

"Say, do you want dessert?" Gumball asked. "I heard they got something special today."

"Oh, no thank you." Aelita said. "I think I've had enough for one day-" Turning her head, she froze, seeing Larry walking into the room, holding what appeared to be a frosted cake, with strawberrys and cookies on top, and ice cream in the center. The cake caught Gumball's attention too. The blue cat started licking his lips, and the pink haired girl started to drool.

"It's so beautiful..." Gumball spoke with tears. Just seeing the cake made Aelita feel hungry again. Either it was because she was, or maybe the little girl in her tum tum was moving around excitedly as she saw it.

"Ok, I'm hungry again." Aelita said.

"Hey Larry!" Gumball called out, getting his attention. "We'd like that cake, please!"

"But it's not part of the buffet." Larry said. Hearing that made Gumball take quick action, pulling out a twenty dollar bill.

"Make it our's, and I'll tip you twenty bucks." He said. Seeing the twenty dollars in chase made Larry smile. With all the crap he had to put working at some many jobs, he was finally getting something!

"It's all yours!" He said, placing the cake onto their table.

"And we will like some water, please." Gumball said as he gave the twenty dollar bill to the waiter.

"Of course!" Larry said, giving the two some spoons.

"So, you ready to dig in?" Gumball asked.

"Gladly." Aelita said, holding up her own spoon. Then, as the opened their mouths, the two quickly dug in... literally! The two teens were eating and disemboweling that cake like no tomorrow. Larry stood there, as some of the pieces of cake plastered a bit on him.

"I hope they don't ask for another one." Larry said as he left the table to prepare their drinks. As he went into the back, he did not notice the little pink bunny sneaking into the diner, slowly extending her head out to see Gumball and Aelita eating the cake before them. Anais gave a devious scowl.

"Look at them..." Anais said. "That little trollop having cake and ice cream with my brother... I'm gonna make her pay for it!" She then leaned backwards, ready to make her move.

Within the seconds that has passed, the cake was completely gone, with Gumball and Aelita laying back onto their seat next to each other. Aelita's tummy had extended a teeny bit, which makes one wonder how all that cake managed to squeeze in with the baby inside her. And Gumball, he laid there with his mouth open, his gut the same size as Aelita's. Either way, they both enjoyed the cake. So much their filled up stomachs felt pleasuring, like they were in a minor drunken state.

"That... was good..." He said, licking his fingers up, getting the frosting off. "Did you enjoy that?"

"Yep... that was really good..." She said, rubbing the bump on her stomach. "Hic!" She let out a hiccup. Gumball couldn't help but smile.

"Hehehehehe... you hiccupped -Hic-!" The blue cat hiccupped himself. The girl couldn't help but laugh, only to hiccup again. Soon, both of them were hiccupping at the same time, but they didn't care. The girl glanced down at her tummy, and placed her hands on it.

"Huh, I hope the baby's not cramped in here." She said. The blue cat then noticed his own tummy, seeing it has extended to the same size as hers.

"Hey, check it out." Gumball said. "I have a food baby."

"Huh?" Aelita asked.

"Well, you got a baby inside you, I got a baby inside me... a food baby." Gumball said as he patted his gut. Suddenly, he let out a burp from his muzzle. The cat covered his mouth in embarrassment.

"Excuse me..." He said, in which the girl next to him laughed. But then suddenly, there was a sudden growl in the room, and that growl was actually coming from the girl's tummy. Then suddenly, she let out a longer belch of her own.

"Excuse me..." She said.

"Eh, better out than in." Gumball said, resulting a laugh from both of them. Then the blue cat leaned in and placed his hand on the girl's bump, speaking to the unborn baby again.

"Hey little girl." Gumball whispered. "Did you make mommy burp? You must've been real hungry, weren't you..." The way the cat was speaking to her tummy made the girl giggle some more. But soon, the blue cat looked up, and stared at her face. He noticed that there was a bit of frosting on the side of her cheek.

"Oh, you gotta something on your cheek." Gumball said.

"Where?" Aelita asked, touching her face, trying to find it.

"Hold on." Gumball said as he leaned in, and licked the frosting right off her cheek. The girl blushed as she felt his tongue on her cheek, licking her. Usually girls would find this disgusting, but in reality, Aelita was actually liking this. With the frosting off her cheek, the blue cat realized what he just did. He just licked her. He then turned away for a second and face palmed.

"Why did I do that for?" Gumball thought, his face turning red with embarrassment. Suddenly, the girl turned his head to he would face her. Suddenly, she leaned in and licked the side of his cheek. The blue cat blushed and his heart pounded rhythmically with love as he felt her tongue on his cheek and whiskers. As her tongue moved from his face, he looked at her.

"You had some ice cream on your cheek." Aelita said. The two looked at each other and smiled, unaware that they were blushing. In the back, Larry was finishing filling the drinks up and placing them on the tray. He then made his way back toward the table.

_-BONK-_

"What was that?" Larry asked as he looked away for a second, hearing the sound, while the pink bunny slipped in and pulled out a bottle of Ipecac Syrup, a discontinued medicine that causes vomiting. She opened the cap.

"This should teach her a lesson..." Anais said, silently dripping all of the Ipecac syrup into Aelita's drink and disappeared quickly as Larry finally turned his head, unaware of the evil chuckling bunny behind the counter. He then took the drinks to the couple's table.

"Here are your drinks." Larry said.

"Thanks Larry!" Gumball said, taking his and giving the other one to Aelita, the one that Anais drugged.

"Cheers!" Gumball said.

"Cheers." Aelita said as the two clicked their cups, and Aelita was about to drink hers, as Anais watched with an evil smile.

"WAIT!" The girl halted before her lips touched the cup, as the blue cat lowered her drink and examined it. Inside the liquid was actually brown, not clear as water. that meant on thing. It was milk. Chocolate milk.

"This is chocolate milk!" Gumball said in a disapproving manner. "Larry!"

"What?" Larry asked, holding another tray of drinks.

"This is not water." Gumball said, giving the cup to Larry, who gasped upon seeing it.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I gave you guys the wrong drinks!" He said, looking back at the tray he was carrying, which both had water in them. "Oh, here are your drinks."

"Thank you." Gumball said as Larry took the ones on the table and placed the other cups, both filled with water onto the table. Anais watched with surprise and shock. She drugged the wrong cup!

"Cheers!" Gumball and Aelita both said, clicking both cups and drank them down, while Larry gave the other drinks to two other customers.

"So, now that we've had our meal, where else would you like to go?" Gumball asked.

"That depends. What do you wanna do?" Aelita asked. The blue cat then started thinking, but then an idea came to his head.

"I know where we can go." Gumball said as he helped the girl out of her seat, and the two left the diner, while Anais watched in anger.

"DAGDAMMIT!" The bunny shouted, while one of the customers drank the drink she drugged and started vomitting. The two love birds left the diner, heading back into the hall of the mall.

"So, what else do they got here?" Aelita asked.

"Well, they have a cinema here." Gumball said. "You wanna go see a movie?"

"What movie though?" Aelita asked. Gumball then started to think.

"How about you decide." Gumball said.

"Ok." Aelita said.

"Then let's go." Gumball said, the two holding hands and made their way to the cinema, unaware of a pedestrian sitting on a bench, reading a newspaper. Suddenly, he lowered the newspaper a bit, showing that he was wearing a hood, seeing the two walk by with his green grass eyes. He continued to stare. As they got faraway enough, the hooded figure placed the newspaper down and followed them. Who was he? And... why is he interested in them?

* * *

This day was absolutely going so well for both Gumball and Aelita. They actually did a lot here at the mall, and what better way to describe it in the form of a montage. The next place they went to was the cinema, where they were playing a selection of new movies released throughout the month of June. Coincidently, the theater was playing romantic comedies, and the two watched one of the films called _Guppy Love_, the story of a young human boy named Gil who befriends and falls in love with a mermaid girl named Molly. The two were so immersed into the movie, Aelita almost didn't notice Gumball leaning his head on her shoulder, making her blush and smile. Outside the screening door, Anais watched. Her brother was watching some flick with that knocked up skank.

"Alright, time to ruin the party." The bunny said as she was about to go in to break them apart, until someone held her back.

"Whoa, whoa, missy." The man outside said, preventing her from going in. "How old are you?"

"Six." Anais answered.

"Well, this movie is rated PG." The man said.

"So?" Anais asked.

"You have to be at least ten years old, or at least be accompanied by a parent to see this movie." The man said. Anais looked at him with confusion.

"WHAT?!" Anais asked. The man pointed her away, with the bunny giving a defeated sigh. Walking away, she was really wishing that she could be older by now. A while later, Gumball and Aelita were laughing as they exited the cinema.

"That was a really good movie." Aelita said. "Molly is so cute when she's a mermaid."

"I know." Gumball said. "And I feel like I totally relate to Gil in some way. Totally liked how he tossed that Mad Scientist down the garbage chute." The two continued laughing until they spotted a photo booth.

"A photo booth!" The blue cat said. "Wanna take some photos?"

"Sure!" Aelita said. Then quickly, the two stepped in and took pictures together. One of them just smiling, one of them making funny faces, one where they made serious but cool faces, and one where Aelita gave Gumball a big hug, making the blue cat blush. As the two exited out to check out the rest of the mall, Anais came along, searching high and low for her big brother. She then noticed the recent photo that was taken, of Gumball being hugged by Aelita. The bunny made a shocked face, seeing the girl hugging her brother.

"That should be me, not that slut!" Anais shouted as she began to tear the photo booth apart with a bat that she stole from one of the kids nearby. Luckily, a woman called security and they chased the little bunny up and down, where Gumball and Aelita were completely oblivious too.

Next up, the two went to the arcade, where they were surrounded by multiple game stations that some of the visitors were trying out. They both saw one game unattended, which was the new Laser Alien game, where you take the electronic blasters and shoot as many aliens on the screen.

"Wanna shoot some aliens?" Gumball asked.

"Ok!" Aelita said as they both picked up the game blasters and began shooting away as the game started. While they were a bit immersed into the game, the two were unaware of Anais looking from behind one of the arcade games. She then spotted a big sledgehammer for the Whack a Mole game, and quickly grabbed it. She began to slowly approach the two, who were wearing headphones the whole time, only hearing the audio from the game. Anais began to get closer to Aelita from behind. She then raised the big hammer to whack her with it... until.

"Hey!" Anais shouted as she was picked up by the desk clerk. "What are you doing?!"

"Sorry young lady, but you're not aloud to use game items on people." He said as he began to take her away out of the arcade.

"OH, COME ON!" Anais shouted as the desk clerk tossed her out the room, while Gumball and Aelita continued to play the game. They had just finished the final boss and won with a new high score.

"Yes!" Gumball called out. "New High Score!" He then started to his victory dance, where he rhythmically moved his arms, legs, and thrusted his pelvis out many times. Aelita couldn't help but giggle at the blue cat's funny dance.

After the arcade was done, the two then noticed something happening on the main floor in the middle of the mall. A group of people were dancing to a remix of Cascada's _Everytime We Touch_ by Cash Cash and rapper MC Oz, while a small crowd watched with amazement.

"Dance Party!" Gumball said. "You wanna join?"

"Well, I would." Aelita said, but looked down at her swollen stomach. "Though I don't know if I'm able to."

"Don't sweat it." Gumball said as he pulled the girl into the dance circle. "We'll take it as easy as you want to." Pretty soon, the blue cat started to dance to the music, and with encouragement, the girl then started to gradually dance along. Pretty soon, the two joined hands and started dancing together, while the crowd of people began to cheer. Some of the audience were some of Gumball's classmates from school, including Masabi, the rich cloud girl, and Leslie, the humanoid plant in a pot.

"Wow, Gumball's dancing with a girl?" Masabi asked.

"Amazing." Leslie said. "Gumball's finally found another girl in his life! I suppose you can fall in love again."

"Yeah." Masabi said, before showing a bored face. "Lame." She then departed, while Leslie continued to cheer with the crowd, while the blue cat and pink haired girl continued to dance away, completely oblivious to a screaming Anais being chased by a mob of shoppers.

* * *

_**Later that day...**_

It sometime around 8:00 PM, and the mall had probably closed a little bit before hand. In front of the plain of grass and right near a single tree on a hill, Gumball and Aelita were laying down on the ground underneath the tree, a little worn out, but the two were smiling. The girl took a slow deep breath before exhaling.

"What a day." She said.

"Yeah." Gumball said, turning to look at her. "So, what did you think?"

"This is probably the best day of my life." Aelita said. "The mall was so cool, The food was nice, the movie was great, and you sure know how to dance." The blue cat only blushed on the last one, but he gave a smile.

"Thanks, and I'm glad you enjoyed it." Gumball said, before turning his attention toward's Aelita's pregnant belly, placing his hand upon it. "And how did the little passenger like it?"

"She enjoyed it too." Aelita said, rubbing her tummy. She then glanced around at the field of grass before and around her. She realized that this place almost looked like the place she was at in her dream with Gumball. She gave a smile, much to Gumball's notice.

"What's up?" He asked.

"Nothing." She said.

"No, really, what is it?" Gumball asked. The girl only looked at the blue cat, then back at the grass.

"I had a little dream earlier today." Aelita said. "It was of a nice field of grass, and you were there. We were both just laying on the ground, enjoying the view. and..."

"And what?" Gumball asked. The girl looked away, showing a tint of red of her cheeks. She gave a smile, thinking how Gumball took off his shirt and how he nuzzled beside her in her dream.

"Well... I really enjoyed it." Aelita said. "Maybe because you were there." The blue cat began to show tints of red on his cheeks too, and a smile formed on his face.

"You know, I had a dream when I took a nap today too." Gumball said. "I was floating in space, and you were there too." He was about to speak more of it, but then he halted himself. He really didn't want to bring up how she took her dress off and begged him to take her, and he definitely didn't want to tell her that it was a wet dream. But looking back on that dream, he really liked it... no. He enjoyed it.

"And I enjoyed it too." He said. "Because you were there." The girl gave a smile and blush. The two looked away, reminiscing on the whole day, and the day before, in fact, right up to when Gumball met Aelita. Looking back at the time when Gumball and Aelita slow danced to the music back at the Hip Hop Club, how he comforted her when she told him of her tragic and horrible backstory, when they woke up next to each other in bed, and today's events. The two enjoyed every single moment, because they were together. They looked back at each other, then down at their hands, seeing that they were in each other's. Looking back up, the two smiled again. This was love. True Love. And they really wanted to tell each other.

"Gumball, there's something that I need to tell you." Aelita said.

"Wait, can I tell you something first?" Gumball asked, wanting to tell her first.

"Sure." Aelita said, willing to wait so he can talk.

"Well... um..." Gumball said. "There's something that I... I need to tell you... But... I don't know how to say it."

"What is it?" Aelita asked. The blue cat began thinking.

"Uhh... I... Um..." Gumball said, trying to find the words to say. But he couldn't, which resulted in him making strange noises. He tried to say something again, but he couldn't. Because honestly, he didn't want to say the wrong thing or anything that will make her hate him. He gave a sigh. Why did this have to be so damn hard, he thought. But then, he remembered what his mom told him. Just show her how he truly feels. Just show her how much he loves her. That's what he needed to do!

"I know." Gumball said. "Aelita, close your eyes."

"Um... ok." Aelita said. She then closed her eyes.

"Keep them closed." Gumball said.

"Why?" Aelita asked. "For what?"

"For this." Gumball said. He then leaned forward, just like he did before. Seeing her beautiful face made him blush, but he kept his cool as he leaned in, and slightly puckered his lips, ready to kiss her.

_-SWOOSH-_

Hearing that strange sound, Gumball looked to his right, and saw that his hand... was changing. Changing into the demonic claw, the same one he had from the school and when he attacked those guys who were trying to hurt Aelita!

"AHH!" Gumball spoke as he saw it.

"Gumball?" Aelita asked, opening one eye to see. The blue cat quickly pulled back, turning away to hide his monstrous claw. "What's wrong?"

"It's Nothing!" Gumball said as he looked back at her.

"Well, were you gonna tell me something?" Aelita asked.

"Yeah, I was jus-!" Gumball said, but he turned away and saw his other hand transforming into another claw. His eyes widened up. What was going on?! He was losing control of his transformations again? No! Not again! He then let out a scream of pain, much to Aelita's notice.

"Gumball, are you ok?" Aelita asked. The blue cat only looked back at her for a second, but then he grunted in pain. He pulled his hood over his head, while his eyes began to change. His sclera turning black and his irises changing glowing yellow. Suddenly, his cat fangs and his teeth began to sharpen up too. He looked down at the ground, seeing his reflection the small puddle in front of him. He nearly gasped at his monstrous face. Not wanting her to see him, he started running, running away from Aelita.

"Gumball, Wait!" She called out as he continued to run, going into the forest and disappearing within the trees. Aelita only stood there, confused at what was going on. Gumball sounded like he was hurt. Like he was in pain. She didn't want him to suffer. She went after him, going into the woods to find him, not knowing that she went through the entrance to the Forest of Doom.

* * *

For those who did not know, the Forest of Doom is a place where no one should be in at all, either in the day or night. It's filled with lots of doom, lots of doom. So much doom that the entire forest if actually the shape of a skull when looked from above. The forest is very big, and easy to get lost in. It is very known to be very dark, even if it's sunny out. The trees are so talk and thick, barely any sunlight can peep in. The forest is the home of creepy plants and animals, such as trees with snarling faces, monstrous squirrels, chicken-deer hybrids, and possibly a lot more.

Two years ago, Gumball and Darwin nearly got lost in the Forest of Doom while on a class fieldtrip. They were left behind by the class, which was led by Miss Simian, who didn't care about anyone's wellbeing or safety. The boys also didn't heed the warning of not going through the forest of doom, and eventually got lost, with both of them starving, Darwin eating Gumball's clothes and leaving the poor blue cat naked and his ankle broken. And when they managed to get out, the class left without them again! Miss Simian probably left them behind on purpose.

And unfortunately, since the sun was setting on the horizon and the moon was over head, Aelita really picked the wrong place to go in here, even if she was looking for Gumball. But she was so worried about the poor cat and his sudden action of running away from her. She didn't want to leave him alone. She wanted to help him!

"Gumball!" Aelita called out. "Gumball, where are you!? Gumball!" As she wondered deeper into the forest, she didn't notice Anais right behind one of the trees far away. The little bunny gave a sinister smile. The little slut finally got lost in the Forest of Doom, she thought. Now she was gonna make sure she stays there and die. Anais pulled out a small horn-like device. It was an animal caller, used to call or attract animals. And the text on the horn said Wolf Call.

"She said she doesn't like wolves." Anais began. "Well, let's see if this Wolf Caller really works...!" Then the bunny took in a deep breath and blew, letting out a wolf's howl.

_HOOOOOOOOOOWWWWLLL!_

Aelita froze stiff, hearing the call of the wolf. It was almost as if she was paralyzed. She knew that animal call from anywhere. Wolves. She looked around, feeling sweat roll down her face, trying to see if there was any wolves in sight. But she didn't see any. The girl tried to keep up a smile.

"It's... it's probably nothing." Aelita said as she tried to keep it together.

_HOOOOOOOOOOWWWWLLL!_

The girl yelped as she turned around, hearing another wolf howl. She was starting to panic now. She took a couple of steps back, but yet she didn't see a wolf or anything. There's no way anyone else was out here. Was there? Anais only looked from her hiding tree, and smiled. The girl was scared.

"Keep it together, Aelita." The girl said, trying to breathe in and out. But the call of the wolves made her hyperventilate. Seeing the girl breathe at a faster pace made Anais smile.

"One more should do the trick." Anais said as she took another deep breath to blow.

_HOOOOOOOWWWWWWLLLLLL!_

That howl however, didn't come from the caller. Anais froze as she heard that wolf howl. She popped out from her hiding spot and gasped as she what she saw. And that smile showed something she liked. Aelita turned once more, hearing that howl. But then suddenly her eyes shrank with horror, seeing the creature that was slowly approaching her. It was a real wolf! A real grey colored coywolf to be precise, which was a hybrid of a coyote, eastern wolves and grey wolves. It was staring right at the girl, who started to shake a bit.

"Uh oh..." Aelita said as she started to take a couple of steps back, as the wolf approached her, looking pretty hungry. Soon it was joined by a couple more of it's pack, all of them looking hungry at the girl.

"Um... good doggies?" She said, as the wolves started to growl and bark. Oh, screw it, she thought. She let out a scream and started running for her life, and the wolves started to chase after her, while Anais watched, who started to laugh. This just got even better!

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Anais giggled with glee. "Now that knocked up slut's out of the picture for good! I can't believe this wolf horn really worked!"

"Oh it worked alright."

Anais froze stiff, and her eyes widened open with concern and fear, hearing the monstrous voice behind her. The little bunny slowly turned around and gasped silently, seeing right before her a massive griffon like creature looking down upon her. It looked like it was staring right at her.

"Oh my..." Anais said, her eyes examining the creature. "What big eyes you have... what big beak you have... and what big claws you have..." The griffon slowly stood itself on two feet, with multiple tentacles appearing behind it, and two big horns as well.

"What... the... AAAAAAHHHH-" Anais screamed as the creature lunged at her.

* * *

"Gumball, Where Are You?!" Aelita screamed as she kept running from the wolf pack, who were still chasing her. The sun was already reaching the horizon and the night sky was about to show. So it was hard to see without much light. Actually, it's hard to see a bit in the Forest of Doom even if there is sunlight out. So yes, there isn't technically a win-win scenario here.

The girl then saw a huge rock wall up ahead, seeing that it was a dead end. The girl stopped, trying to see if she can climb it. But she couldn't jump high enough. She then turned around, seeing the wolves slowly approaching and cornering her. They continued to growl and drool, showing that they were hungry. The girl only cringed away, her arms were over her pregnant belly to shield the unborn child that was inside her. Though that probably won't be much since they'll both be eaten alive. The wolves were ready to pounce... but then...

"Kanojo o hitori ni shite / 彼女を一人にして!" a voice shouted into the sky. The monsters looked up, to see a mysterious humanoid creature up upon the hill behind Aelita. Spreading his strange wings, he took the skies and flew downward. He made a landing, and though the shadows hid his face, his yellow eyes light up in the dark. And his hands showed sharp nails, indicating that they were claws. Aelita was almost ready to yelp again, but she noticed something about the creature. A familiar blue tail was dangling above his rear. Was that... Gumball?

"Bakku! Nigeru! Kanojo wa watashi no nakamadesu /バック！ 逃げる！ 彼女は私の仲間です!" The mysterious cat spoke, extending his demonic claws. The wolves looked at each other, but they all gave a growl in response. The leader of the pack jumped in to attack, only for the creature to swing his arm, whacking the wolf right into it's stomach, hurling it about 20 feet across the floor and into the tree, making the bark break to pieces. The wolf slowly got up and began to whimper, not because it was injured, thankfully. Because it was now scared for its life. It started to run away, while the other wolves looked right back at the creature, who let out a loud screech, showing it's demonic yellow eyes. The wolves then whimpered as well and ran away to follow their leader, no longer threatening Aelita again.

Speaking of which, while the creature gave a huff, then lowered itself to the ground, letting out slow pants, Aelita slowly lifted herself from the ground and slowly made her way to the creature. She now had a better view of the tail the creature had. It was a blue tail, a blue cat tail, though it had some black spikes on it. But she knew that tail. It was Gumball's tail!

"Gumball?" She asked, getting his attention. Turning his head, she saw his blue cheeks, and his black teal hoodie, but his eye pupils were giving a strange glowing yellow, his five whiskers were a bit of a mess and his hood was over his head, shrouding most of his face. But it was him. It was definitely him.

"Aelita..." He spoke.

"Gumball, you saved me-" Aelita said as she stepped forward, but the cat took a step back.

"No... please don't come near me." Gumball said.

"Why not?" Aelita asked. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I... I just want to be alone..." He said as he turned away to go.

"Wait!" Aelita said as she ran toward him and grabbed his arm, making him stop.

"Please, let go of me..." He whispered, his voice sounding more begging than usual.

"Why?" Aelita asked, but then she felt something. Something different about his paw. Glancing downward across Gumball's arm as the moonlight shined upon them. She looked at his hand, but her eyes widened. In her hand was not Gumball's hand, but a strange white claw, a monster claw of some sorts. She gasped as she let go, and the blue cat pulled away.

"Gumball?" Aelita asked. "What happened to y-"

"Aelita, please don't freak out." He said. "I can explain... well... I can't... I mean..."

"Gumball." The girl said, stepping foward. "Please... take your hood off, please." The blue cat only stared at the girl for just a few seconds, and sighed reluctantly. Taking his hood by his hands, he slowly removed it, showing a surprising new look. While his lower face and tuft of hair on top of his head was still blue, the upper part was black, with three yellow orbs on top of his head, with a strange glowing sigil above them. He opened his eyes, showing the yellow pupils and both of his sclera were black, like a set of demon eyes glowing in the darkness. There were two black antennas on top of his head, and on his back, there were black and red wings. Aelita was surprised at the least as she saw him. But she wasn't scared one bit. The cat before her, tried giving a nervous smile, and his monstrous sharp teeth.

"Gumball... is it really you?" Aelita asked.

"Yes..." He spoke, his head lowered in shame.

"What are you?" She asked. "Are you a... monster?"

"Well, in terms of speaking... yes." He said as he slumped. "I'm... a monster." The girl only stood there, examining the blue cat once more.

"That's so cool!" She said with a smile. Gumball lifted his head up in surprise.

"R...Really?" Gumball asked. "You think it's cool?" To be honest, the blue cat was expecting the girl's response a whole lot differently.

"In a way, yes." She said as she moved closer to him. "And... you still look so cute." She slightly gave him a loving pinch on the cheek. The cat began to form a smile on his face. She's not scared of him at all. She thinks he's cute.

"Thanks... at least you think it's cool." He said, a frown coming to his face. The girl moved closer to him.

"When did you discover them?" She asked.

"It was almost a year ago." Gumball said. "I got into a bad fight at school, and Jamie was plowing me to the floor. Darwin tried to help, but then Jamie began to try and fry him."

"That's horrible." She said.

"Yeah..." He said. "At that moment, seeing my brother get tortured like that... I just lost it. Just seeing her hurt one of my family members... makes me... makes me so MAD!" The blue cat began to display anger, where his teeth began to sharpen and his eyes began to glow. The girl was a bit surprised at first, but at that moment, Gumball quickly tried to calm himself. Taking a couple deep breaths, he finally sighed, his eyes stopped glowing and his fangs retracted a bit.

"And that's when you..." Aelita was about to ask.

"Yeah." Gumball said. "I just went berserk and I went to town with her. Literally, I threw her half-way across the town. She was in a body cast for a whole two months."

"Oh my." Aelita said. "I hope you didn't get into too much trouble."

"Eh, the school pretty much hates me, but I didn't get it too bad." Gumball said. "The cops got involved but they ruled that I was acting in self-defense, especially when they found out about the bullying. My mom threatened to sue the school for placing me in danger, and Jamie got suspended for... a month and a half. Course, whenever she sees me, she runs away from me in fear. In fact, when I got back the next day, everybody was praising me, saying how awesome I was for beating up Jamie. Even Tina began to show me some respect. But... it didn't change the fact that I'm... well... a mutant."

"Does your family know about this?" Aelita asked.

"My mom does." Gumball replied. "And Darwin. He keeps me in check if I ever get into another manic-episode, and mom told me to try and keep it under control. I've been improving... in a way. But sometimes... the transformations happen by force, and it's hard to keep it back."

"So those guys who tried to assault me, you did that to them, did you?" Aelita asked. The blue cat only squinted his eyes a bit in guilt, and lowered his head.

"Yeah. That was me." He spoke, and glanced at his hands, seeing the mutant demonic skin in it's place, and the sharp claws that were too sharp to be a cat's. "I don't know why I have these powers... I just do. And to be honest, I don't even know how I can use them for good..." The girl approached him and knelt down to his level.

"I don't think you're a monster." Aelita said.

"Y... You don't?" Gumball asked, his antennaes and his ears perked up in surprise. "How so?"

"Well, you did use them to save me." Aelita said. "And you used them to save Darwin when he was in trouble." Gumball began to think on it. It was true. He did save her, just like he saved Darwin. So if he saved people, It seems that it doesn't make him a monster.

"Huh... I guess I did." Gumball said.

"And if you used them to save me, then that doesn't make you a monster." She said. "It makes you... a hero."

"A hero?" Gumball asked.

"Yes, a hero." Aelita said. The blue cat began thinking. She had a good point. Despite his struggle to control these powers, he used them to save her and Darwin. Guess that does make him a hero.

"Yeah, I guess so." Gumball said, glancing up at the sky. "But... I don't feel like one though."

"Well, you are one. To me at least." Aelita said with a warm smile. The blue cat lifted his head up, and stared at her with a bit of surprise. She said that he was a hero to her. Nobody has ever said that to him before. That felt really good to hear that. In the heat of the moment, he pulled her into a hug.

"Thank you." Gumball said. The girl returned the favor, wrapping her arms around him too. Feeling her arms around him made him smile, and his wings started to flap slowly. Then an idea popped into his head as he looked up at the starry sky, seeing the clear night shining down upon them.

"Hey, I just had a cool idea." Gumball said.

"What is it?" Aelita asked. The blue cat glanced back at his wings, and they continued to flap. As they did, he slowly rose up from the ground. He then held his hand out.

"Come with me if you want to live." He said. The girl looked at him with a bit of confusion. But she gave a nod and took his hand. Suddenly, he flew behind her and wrapped her arms around her.

"Gumball, what are you-" Aelita said before she yelped, the blue cat flying quickly up in the air by the might of his wings, taking her with him. She almost screamed as he flew around as he kept going up high into the sky. The girl had her eyes closed the whole time as he flew up with her in his arms. Luckily, her arms were free to allow her hands to have them over her eyes.

"Hey Aelita, check it out." Gumball said.

"Huh?" The girl asked as she removed one hand to allow one of her eyes to see. Suddenly, her other hand left so both eyes can see. The girl wasn't falling at all. She was high up in the air, flying over the forest. looking down, she saw the blue cat had his arms over her chest, and his legs wrapped around her pelvis, not a single limb on her belly, and her arms and legs were free. She looked up to see Gumball, laying on her back, and his arms and legs preventing her from falling and allowing him to keep her up and not drop her, as his wings continued to flap, allowing them both to fly into the air. She then looked down below her, seeing the entire landscape across and outside of Elmore. It was the most beautiful thing that she had ever seen.

"Wow..." She said, a smile forming on her face. "We're flying."

"Flying... with style." Gumball said as he gave a wink, making the girl giggle.

"You know, I flew a few times while back." Aelita said.

"You have?" Gumball asked, a bit surprised.

"Well, not in the real world." Aelita said. "Back on Lyoko. Jeremy upgraded our outfits in the digital world and gave me a bracelet to allow me to fly."

"Really?" Gumball asked. "That's so cool!"

"It was." Aelita said. "Unfortunately it was only a few times, since we spent most of our time investigating the digital sea."

"You mean the internet?" Gumball asked.

"Something like that." Aelita said.

"Ahhh." Gumball said. "Well, at least this gives you a feel of flying in real life."

"Definitely." Aelita said. "Do you sometimes fly often yourself?"

"Sometimes, when I turn into this." Gumball said. "The landscape kinda clears my mind up a bit."

"Alone?" Aelita asked.

"Yeah, there's pretty much no one else to fly with... except..." Gumball said, before looking away for a second, his mind began to dwell on someone else. Penny.

"What's wrong?" Aelita asked.

"Nothing." Gumball said. "I just remembered someone I knew who could fly as well... and shapeshift... a long time ago."

"Who?" Aelita asked. Gumball felt hesitant to speak about it. He wanted to, but he couldn't. It was too painful.

"I don't wanna talk about it." He said. Aelita began to wonder, was this someone the girl that Nicole referred to her about, the girl that he lost a while back? Though it seemed that he didn't want to talk about it, so might as well not ask anymore.

"Ok." Aelita said, understanding why. "But just remember, if you want to talk about it, I'm willing to listen." The blue cat glanced at her, and he gave a smile and nod. He did want to tell her at some point, but not now. He didn't want to ruin the moment. As they continued to fly with the wind, the blue cat went upward, passing the clouds above them, allowing them to see more of the landscape. While everything looked smaller, the moon's light made the ground look much more mystic and mysterious, while magnificent at the same time. The girl then spread out her arms, feeling more like she was flying. She was enjoying it. Glancing upwards at the sky, she saw the stars twinkling, sparkling so peacefully.

"It's so beautiful.." She said.

"Yeah... but not as beautiful as you." Gumball said. He then blushed at what he just said. Unaware, the girl gave a warm smile, and tints of pink covered her cheeks. She lifted her arms up, feeling the blue cat's paw on her. The blue cat felt her warm hand and blushed again. He also then realized that his hands were over her chest, which was were her breasts were.

"Uhhhh, I'm not being frisky." Gumball said.

"I know..." Aelita said, looking back at him. "But I like feeling your touch..." The blue cat blushed even more, but a smile formed on his face. She liked feeling his body against her's. That made him feel... good. Very good. He then lowered his head on the back of her head, slowly nuzzling a bit. The girl felt him gently nudging his head on her. But she didn't care. She actually liked that too. Just feeling him near her, or feeling his entire embrace made her feel safe and happy. Despite that, his wings continued to flap gently as they continued to fly, enjoying this peaceful moment.

* * *

Just on the edge of the Forest of Doom, right near the park, Anais, now rustled, dizzy, and dirty, emerged from the trees, coughing a bit, wheezing, and spitting out everything she could out of her mouth. Luckily, the griffon monster with the tentacles didn't do anything horrible to her. The monster only grabbed her and nuzzled against her, while her tentacles were choking her, preventing her from breathing a bit. She was able to get away from it after biting the limb, allowing it to release her. Her escape however, was followed by tumbling in a ball all the way down the hill and cliff, which is surprising because the cliff couldn't be seen anywhere, which resorted to her being covered in honey, then chased by wild bears, then she ended up getting muddy from tripping into mud puddles, and she jumped into a pond, where there were a couple of leeches that attached to her, sucking the blood from her veins, which was why she was so dizzy.

She probably passed out from all that when she came to and found herself near the pond. She was glad that leeches were gone, probably because they thought she was dead and they went back into the water. She managed to get herself away from the area and back near the park. It seems that karma was really getting to her now. She sat down near the tree and gave a defeated sigh.

"Why does this always happen to me?" Anais asked, trying to get the dizziness out of her head. She then looked around. No sign of her big brother, nor that little knocked up whore. The little bunny was praying the slut was disposed of by the wolves.

Suddenly, she heard voices. It was Aelita's voice. The bunny froze up as she continued to hear it. Did the girl become a ghost and was now haunting her soul? But then she heard Gumball's voice, who was cheering along with Aelita's voice. She looked up in the sky, seeing none other than Gumball, with wings, holding Aelita, and the two were flying together.

"WHAT?!" Anais shouted, seeing them both in the air, both in anger, because Aelita was alive, and shocked, because Gumball now had wings?! She hid behind the tree she was resting on and witnessed the two land in the now empty park. The blue cat gently lowered himself, allowing the girl to land safely on her feet, and the blue cat floated down until his feet touched the ground.

"Wow, that was incredible!" Aelita said.

"I know!" Gumball said. "So extraordinary!"

"You were terrific!" Aelita said.

"You were amazing!" Gumball said. The two then stopped their positive comments and smiled at each other, giving tints of blushes, but not caring so. They really had a fun time tonight, probably the best time they have ever had.

"Well, we should probably get home." Gumball said, seeing that it was almost nine on his watch.

"Ok, but what about you, though?" Aelita asked, referring to Gumball's transformation. The blue cat looked down at himself and saw that he still had his claws, antennas, wings, and yellow eyes.

"Oh yeah." Gumball said. "I'm sure they'll revert back tomorrow, since I'm always back to normal then."

"Ok." Aelita said. "And... Gumball?"

"Yes, Aelita?" He asked. Suddenly, he felt her rush over and hug him tightly, making him blush.

"Thank you." She said. The blue cat then smiled, and he wrapped his arms around her, completing the hug. As they held onto each other, Gumball's claws began to retract and shift back into his normal blue paws. His antennas and wings began to seep back into his back. The blackness in his fur began to recolor back to blue, and as he opened his eyes, his sclera turned back to white, and his eyes reverted back to blue! As the two departed the hug, Gumball glanced at his arm, seeing his paw back to normal.

"Hey, I'm me again!" Gumball said.

"You're back to normal!" Aelita said.

"I'm Me!" Gumball said as he jumped and cheered. He then pulled Aelita and twirled himself and her around before pulling her into another hug.

"Thank you." He told her as he nuzzled her.

"It was nothing." Aelita said as the two smiled at each other. The blue cat only stood there, looking straight at her. His heart was pounding so much, in such a rhythmical pattern. He truly didn't deny it. He loved her. He loved Aelita with all his heart, and he really wanted to tell her.

"Oh, Aelita." Gumball said. "There was something that I wanted to tell you, before all this."

"What is it?" She asked. He was about to speak, but then, as he stared at the girl's eyes, Gumball was lost in thought, thinking of the times his mom and dad were together, nuzzling each other and giving each other kisses. And the time when Darwin and Carrie finally confessed their feelings. There were no words needed, because they showed how much they cared for each other. Gumball stood there, and confidence was building inside him, as the girl tilted her head.

"Gumball, are you ok-?" Before she could finish, the blue cat moved his head closer to her's... and planted his lips upon her's, and sealed it.

The girl realized what was happening before her, what he was doing. He was kissing her on the lips. This was quite shocking... at first it was. But her heart, beating to the boy's heart rate, was telling her something else. This moment, this wonderful romantic moment. She didn't want it to end. Her eyes then showed tenderness, filled with deep affection and lust. She liked it... no... she loved it. She then slowly wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him closer to her, and continued this passionate kiss.

As their lips continued to be sealed, far from them, Anais was standing there, seeing her big brother kissing that girl, right in front of her. Pure shock and rage filled her face, but then, her face began to seep into sadness, as a couple tears began to form in her eyes. She loved her brother so much, but he was instead giving his love to that... that... that french harlot! The little pink bunny squeezed her eyes, allowing the tears to fall down on her cheek. She then ran off, not even caring where she was going, either out of the woods or deeper. She didn't care. She lost her big brother.

Soon, Gumball and Aelita broke the kiss, and stared at each other's eyes. The blue cat then froze instantly, realizing what he had just done! He just kissed Aelita.

"Oh My God, Oh My God, Oh My God, Oh My God!" Gumball spoke in embarrassment. "I'm so sorry, I didn't know what came over me! I swear, I had no idea what I was-" Before he could finish though, the girl before him leaned in, and locked her lips with his once more, sealing another kiss. His eyes widened, but then they were closed, as he placed his hands on her arms. Within seconds, the kiss departed, and the two stared at each other.

"Wh...what was that for?" Gumball asked.

"Just letting my heart speak." Aelita said.

"Y...you mean... you like-like me?" Gumball asked. The girl gave a giggle.

"Of course silly." The girl said. "Why else would I kiss you?" The blue cat's eyes widened, and a tear dropped down from his eye. A warm smile emerged on his face, and within seconds, he pulled the girl into a hug.

"Thank you..." He said. The girl gave a smile and wrapped her arms around him too, and she nuzzled against his forehead. She accepted his feelings.

"Oh!" Aelita spoke.

"What?" Gumball asked as they quickly broke the hug. "What is it?" The girl glanced down at her belly, her hands right on her baby bump.

"I... I felt her kick..." Aelita said. Gumball's eyes widened. The baby kicked?

"You did?" Gumball asked.

"Yes, I did." Aelita said, and she took his paw. "Here, feel it." She then placed his hand on the surface of her belly. It took about three seconds, but then, the blue cat's eyes widened. He felt it too. He felt something slightly press against his paw from the inside of her womb.

"I feel it too." Gumball said, his hand gently moving across the surface of her stomach. He then felt a small mass, probably another kick at where his hand moved. He couldn't help but smile.

"I think she likes you." Aelita said.

"Yeah..." Gumball said. For some reason, he felt so happy. Why is that? He's not the father, let alone if he was he was too young. But he felt happy. Maybe because he had imprinted upon Aelita's unborn child. He could not tell. But he was happy. He leaned in, nuzzling his face into the girl's tummy.

"Hey little gal..." Gumball said to the bump. "You happy that me and your mommy kissed? Well, how about I give you a kiss too. A lot of kisses." Then, the cat began to kiss the surface of Aelita's belly multiple times, making the girl giggle as he held on to her.

"That tickles." She said.

"Sorry, I'm being a little weird again, aren't I?" Gumball asked.

"That's alright, Gumball." Aelita said. "That's why I like you. Thank you, Gumball."

"And thank you..." He said.

"For what?" she asked.

"For giving me the strength to find love again." Gumball spoke with a smile. The two continued to smile at each other. They leaned in once more and kissed again, this time much more passionately than before. Not caring who would ever seem them under the peaceful starry night.

* * *

**A couple hours later...**

It felt like a lot of time has passed since they were in the woods, under the night of stars. They were walking back to Gumball's house. Both of them were holding each other's hands, and both were smiling. They just flew a little bit more in the sky before making their way back to the house, and they enjoyed it very much.

"Wow." Gumball said. "This is without a doubt the best day of my life."

"Me too." Aelita said. "I have to say, you really know how to please a girl."

"Well, like mom always said, the girl always matters the most." Gumball said. "I think that's what she said... or was it dad who said it? I can't remember." The girl couldn't help but giggle at Gumball's struggle to remember. But he didn't mind. She was happy, and that's all that mattered. Pretty soon, they finally made it to the Watterson household. As Aelita was ready to head inside, Gumball had his gaze directed at the sky, with the many stars twinkling and shining their light down upon them.

"You know, it feels strange." he said.

"Strange?" Aelita asked. "What's so strange."

"I dunno." Gumball said. "It's strange that things get bad at first, but in the end, it ends up getting better." The girl realized what he was talking about. They both have been through some bad stuff, but things have gotten better for them, which was a bit strange.

"I know what you mean." Aelita said. "But with how things have gotten better, that's a good thing right?"

"Yeah." Gumball said. "Definitely. And no matter what life throws at us, we'll deal with it together. You, me, and even my family too." The girl smiled, seeing his smile.

"Thank you for welcoming me into your family, Gumball." Aelita said. "I'm really glad that I met you."

"And I'm glad that I met you too." Gumball replied. Then suddenly, he leaned up and then started licking her cheek, making her giggle.

"What are you doing?" She asked with a smile.

"Sorry, can't help it." Gumball said. "You're just so amazing."

"No. You're amazing." Aelita said as she leaned in and kissed his nose, making him chuckle.

"HEEY!"

The shout took them by surprise. Turning their heads, they saw the door open, revealing a massive masked figure with a gardening pitch fork.

"What is going on here?!" The figure shouted. The two lovers screamed and clung onto each other tightly, afraid of what he was gonna do next. But then suddenly, the figure took his mask off, and revealed himself to be Richard.

"BAHAHAHAHAHA!" Richard laughed. "You guys should've seen your faces! Oh, that was so good!" As the rabbit continued laughing, the two stood there in confusion.

"Wha... Dad!" Gumball shouted. "What the hell was that?!"

"Haha, sorry son." Richard said. "I couldn't resist. It was just so hilarious to see your faces." Gumball was about to speak, but then he noticed his dad was... not wearing pants... again.

"Dad?" Gumball asked. "Why are you not wearing any pants?" Then suddenly, Richard glanced down at himself, seeing that he was only wearing his underwear.

"Oh, I couldn't find any overalls to go with it." Richard said. The blue cat and girl looked at him, then at each other. The two then found the sudden urge to laugh at Richard's joke, and the rabbit joined.

"Oh, you guys are back." Nicole said as she leaned from behind Richard. "My, you guys have been gone for a while." The blue cat boy looked up at the sky, seeing the stars out.

"Oh, yeah, we must've been out too long." Gumball said. "Sorry about that."

"Aw, don't worry honey." Nicole said. "It's not a school night so it's no biggie. So, how was your date?"

"Um..." Gumball spoke, but stopped as he felt Aelita's hand on his shoulder. Turning his head, he saw her looking at him, smiling sincerely.

"It was amazing." She said. Hearing that brought a smile to the blue cat's face.

"Awwww..." Richard said. "You two finally made out! Wish I had my camera."

"Wh...Dad!" Gumball said, his face blushing up. But then, he felt a pair of arms hugging him. Turning again, he saw the girl embracing him with a loving affectionate hug, nuzzling his cheek into his head. A smile came upon his face as he hugged her in return. Once again, the two leaned in with a smooch, not even caring that anyone was watching. There was no more turmoil anymore, and they were finally at peace. Nicole and Richard watched happily.

"Our little boy's found love again." Nicole said.

"Yep." Richard said, and then he hugged his wife affectionately. "And you my lady deserve a kiss as well."

"Oh, meow." Nicole said as Richard began to nuzzle her, and soon the two were kissing each other as well, unaware that Darwin was watching from behind with a happy smile, happy to see his brother with the girl he loved, and happy how Nicole and Richard were being lovey dovey too.

"Another happy ending." Darwin said. Unbeknownst to them, there were actually a couple of other people watching this scene. One was behind the light post far down the street. The mysterious stranger with the hood and green eyes. He was watching with great surprise, and a smile on his face.

"It's her." He said. "It's really her."

However, not everyone was happy of the two's new relationship. Upstairs from her window, was Anais watching with lots of pain, and disgust. She had managed to find her way home after seeing her brother make out with that girl. She then turned away from the sight and pulled her ears in anger, letting a loud scream and slamming her hands into the ground. She then turned to her secret closet, where she kept her hidden Gumball plushy. She rushed over toward it and opened the door. Seeing it for just a few seconds, her face shifted to an angry one, and she was ready to rip it up. She grabbed the arm, and was ready to pull it.

She froze. She just stood there with the arm in her hands. Seeing the Gumball plushy all lifeless and still, only brought more tears to her eyes. She couldn't rip it up. She just couldn't. She still loved her big brother so much. She letted go of the plushy's arm and turned away, jumping into her bed, and covered her face into her pillow, and began crying softly. She couldn't get that image out of her head. Seeing her brother kissing that little slut. It made her sick to her stomach, and made her heart crack. She continued crying, but her eyes opened a bit, showing anger within them. Lots and lots of anger.

* * *

**Meanwhile... Somewhere in Pork Belly**

"You know that this is just the beginning of your torture."

A certain blonde boy with flame hair and a blue jacket we completely tied up to a chair. Chains wrapped his entire body, and duck tape glued directly on his mouth. There was blood on his face, but it wasn't his own. He was inside his house, all covered in gore and blood. His father, who was blonde and wearing a green vest, was dead with his entire head blown off. His mom, the brown-haired business woman was nailed to the wall, her organs ripped from her whole body. His sisters, both red haired and glasses, their bodies were torn up from the inside out. The boy was crying, and screaming. But nobody could hear him, and in front of him was a man in a grey trench coat, his face shrouded in shadows.

"Now, whatever should I do to you?" The mysterious man spoke as he approached the boy, who was whimpering and muffling through his closed mouth. "Should I blow your brains out? No, I've already done that to your father. Stupid fool would not stop shouting. Perhaps I could rip your organs out? Maybe not, for I already did that to your mom. Oh, maybe I could... Tear you apart from the inside out. Wait, I already did that to your twin sisters. Perhaps drowning you could do it, but it's not satifying." The boy couldn't say anything, only muffles.

"I know what I can do." The man said. "I'll fry you up with electricity." The man lifted his right arm, revealing a metallic robotic arm. It then shifted into an electric arc cannon. The boy screamed through his glued mouth.

_-RING RING RING RING-_

The sound of the ringtone quickly caught attention, making the man lower his cannon and lifted his left hand, showing a watch communicator.

"What is it?" He asked.

"We need you to get back here." A voice spoke from the communicator.

"I'm busy right now." The man said.

"With what?"

"Torturing my next victim." The man said.

"You're still doing that? We already stole their equipment from the lab, which some of it has proven to be completely useless, except for the weapons of course."

"But I have nothing better to do." The man continued.

"Well now you do. Now get your ass back here." The man looked back at the boy, who was still struggling to move.

"Can I kill the boy then?" The man asked.

"He's not worth it. Let him drown in his misery."

The man disappointedly hung up, and looked back at the boy.

"You should feel lucky boy." The man said. "You just been spared." The man swayed his white hair out of his dark eyes and left, closing the door behind him. The boy only gave a sigh of relief, but he still whimpered by the blood and the death of his loved ones.

"Hey Johnny, Can I Come Out Now?!" A Dog spoke moving from the hole in the wall. "I've been cramped all day in that- WHOA!" The canine jumped seeing the blood and gore all over the place. He then looked back at his owner, who was crying and whimpering.

"Wow... dude, you sisters really messed this place up." The dog said. "At least you're not getting blamed for it!" The dog gave a smile, and the boy lowered his head with a groan.

* * *

_**Meanwhile... in an unknown place.**_

A large massive tower stood in the Southern outskirts, surrounded by platforms and such. With the atmosphere being all dark, it was hard to tell what was around it. A Black Doom Buggie approached the area, heading straight for the tower. It passed through the front gates, with a huge energy shield surrounding the area, along with the tower. The vehicle parked with several trucks. Stepping out was the man, and he closed the door with his mechanical metal arm. He marched toward the tall tower, passing several militia men, all of them bearing a symbol of a phoenix's beak on their shoulders and backs. The Dark Phoenix, the massive terrorist organization who want nothing more but world domination, and this man was a part of it. Drex Archo, the mysterious man who was once a war veteran, but was opted out when he lost his arm in battle. It drove him completely violent and emotionless, feeling nothing but anger and hatred. While not the leader, he served and commanded it's army. And nothing was going to stop him from achieving his purpose. Except for the man who summoned him, the high leader of the organization. He moved forward pass the front door of the tower, where inside, there were some interesting creatures trapped in cages. They were all kaijin monsters, with different looks and features. All of them were dark and evil. But Drex Archo was not afraid. As one of the beasts growled at him, his hand transformed into a gun and shot at the monster's foot, scaring it. These monsters were suppose to be the feared ones, but Drex was not a man of fear. He didn't feel fear, only nothing. Passing the monsters, he made his way to the elevator. Stepping inside, the doors closed behind him and the elevator went up to the top floor. The doors opened, revealing an office, with a seat turned away from the desk, showing that somebody was in it. Drex approached the table.

"You should know not to interrupt me while I'm working." He said.

"And I made it clear that you should always inform me when you're doing your little games." A voice said from behind the chair.

"If you called me here, then it better be good." Drex said.

"It is." The other man said, with the chair turning around, revealing a much older man, somewhere between fifty to seventy due to his white hair. A short beard was on his chin, and he wore a brownish green dress suit, with a darker colored sweater underneath, his eyes of dark slate grey were showing traits of wickedness and evil.

"We have just recently received a call that requires your... expertise." The man, Wallace Breen, continued.

"And what is this task you ask of me to do?" Drex asked.

"You remember Professor Waldo Schaeffer... do you?" Wallace asked.

"Yes." Drex said. "Professor Waldo Schaeffer. The man who worked on Project Carthage, and discovered our use for it. He went rogue and took the research of Carthage with him after the Plumbers raided our old base years ago. What about him?"

"You do recall your little blood-shedding back at Kadic Academy, do you?" Wallace asked. "Where you were tasked to collect the files of Professor Waldo Schaeffer?"

"The mission was a success." Drex said.

"And that you were also to leave no witnesses." Wallace asked.

"Yes." Drex said.

"And you collected his daughter, Aelita Schaeffer." Wallace continued.

"You mean Subject A?" Drex asked.

"Yes, Subject A where we did experiments on her to create an offspring made from Kaijin DNA." Wallace said. "But Subject A, as you should already know about, escaped from our grasps months ago."

"So?" Drex asked. "That was not my fault."

"The monster that you captured the night she escaped wrecked havoc in our old facility." Wallace said. "And because of that, she escaped. She escaped on your watch."

"Keeping the girl locked up was not my responsibility." Drex said. "Why are you even interested in her?"

"I told you, our experiments was to create an offspring from human and Kaijin DNA, and it was successful." Wallace said. "In a couple weeks time or so, she will give birth to the first human kaijin species, and we need that for further study."

"And using a teenager to be the subject?" Drex asked.

"That has nothing to do with it." Wallace said as he walked toward the man. "The point is that she is carrying inside her what is humanity's hope of longevity. Plus, she may get the attention of our enemies, and that's why we need her back."

"Well, we don't know where she is." Drex said.

"We may have found her." Wallace said. The man with the metal arm turned his head back at the older man.

"What?" Drex asked.

"We received a message from an anomynous caller about the girl." Wallace said. "And this caller gave very detailed information about the girl's whereabouts. I want you to listen." He then pressed the recorder on, revealing a message.

_"This is to the Hydra Force. I have vital information regarding a fugitive that you are searching for. The girl's location is in a blue house owned by the Watterson family, right next to a big purple in the town of Elmore. The address is 1026 York Street."_

As the message ended, Drex raises an eyebrow, surprised how whoever sent them the message got all this juicy info. Neverless, he made his way to the window, taking a gaze at the moonlight sky.

"So... what to do?" Drex said.

"You know what." Wallace said. "I want her alive..."

"And you're asking me to collect her?" Drex asked.

"Yes." Wallace said. Drex then gave a nod.

"I will prepare Hydra Force to do so." Drex said. Hydra Force, one of the top ranked members and elite soldiers of the Green Phoenix. They are very very excellent at their job, and they do not fail by any means, and succeed by all means necessary. As he made his way to the elevator, Drex slight turned his head to Wallace's direction.

"And the ones who are hiding her?" He spoke. "What of them?"

"Bring them in." Wallace said. "So no one knows of what we're doing."

"And if there is some retaliation?" Drex asked. Wallace then turned his head before he left the room.

"Kill them."

* * *

**6!**

**Welp, that's that for this chapter! I had loads of fun writing this chapter, especially the kissing scene.**

**I just love pairing Gumball and Aelita together. I know it sounds strange, but I just find them together pretty cute. I've drawn a lot of fan art of the two together recently and I'm dying to post it!**

**The Guppy Love movie is a reference to Bubble Guppies, as they have been revived and recently premiered their fifth season a couple weeks ago, and it looks like the season will have not only a new character, but a couple of new twists.**

**Also, it sounds like the Dark Phoenix are going to make their move. But we'll step away from the Wattersons for a while, and move back to Sonic and CJ next chapter as the latter and the SPD attempt to recruit Sonic to their cause. So anyway, after the next chapter, we'll be getting the team together!**

**Japanese Translations:**

**Leave Her Alone! - Kanojo o hitori ni shite! / 彼女を一人にして！  
Back! Get away! She's My Mate! - Bakku! Nigeru! Kanojo wa watashi no nakamadesu /バック！ 逃げる！ 彼女は私の仲間です！**


	12. Chapter 12: Space Police Delta

**Ok, so now we go back to Sonic and CJ, and learn about what they can. This is also gonna be having some references to movies and of course elements from video games.**

**Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

_**Chapter 12: Space Police Delta**_

_**Eariler that day...**_

It was morning time right now, and the SPD Copter Jet was flying in the sky, heading straight for the base. Inside the ship itself, it was pretty much high-tech stuff, kinda like the high tech gizmos that are usually in sci-fi or hero films like Star Wars, Avengers, and all those other films and TV shows. Inside the ship, Sonic was watching something from a tablet, while Marshall and Chase looked around the ship.

"Wow... this is definitely not like anything we have in the Paw Patrol." Marshall said.

"What did you expect Marshall?" Chase asked. "The SPD is one of the most high ranking organizations known on Earth. They're like... the protectors of the multiverse."

"The multi-what now?" Marshall asked.

"Multiverse." Sally spoke from her seat. "It's pretty much the entire Universe, consisting of various different worlds and dimensions."

"Oh... that makes a lot of sense... sort of." Marshall said. He then glanced over to see Dog, who was looking down at the Dalmatian, as if it was scanning it. "Um... nice dog."

"Thanks." Alyx said. "My father made him for me a when I was little. I added a few modifications here and there."

"He looks pretty cool." Marshall said. Dog then lifted it's left hand up, and gently started to pet Marshall, who gave a smile as he felt the robot pet his back softly. "And pretty friendly." Tails on the other hand was looking around the ship, amazed by the advanced technology the ship is made out of. With him being a mechanic and having a fondness for gadgets, he loved seeing stuff like this.

"Wow." Tails said as he moved up to Barney, who was driving the copter. "This ship is amazing! Since when did you guys ever become a part of all this?"

"It's a long story." Barney said. "After the Black Arms invasion, Magnusson and Eli brought us into the SPD. And I tell ya, it's much more different since the Resistance days. And I like it." Tails looked at the controls and steering wheel, seeing all the buttons and gizmos.

"Of all my years building stuff, I've never seen anything this advance before." Tails said. "How do you know which button does what?"

"It's simple." Barney said. "That green one up there is the... um... Start button, and that red one over there is... the Do Not Press Button." Tails raised an eyebrow.

"No they're not." Tails said. "The start button's on the steering wheel and the red button should have a _Do Not Press_, or _Warning_ sign around it. Plus, the start button on the steering wheel says start on it." Barney looked back at the steering wheel, seeing the button that has Start at the top.

"Yeah, I knew that." Barney said. "I was just testing ya."

"No he didn't know." Alyx said leaning in, making Barney blush and sigh in embarrassment. In the back, Sonic was just... chillin'. Chillin' on the bench in the back of the ship, listening to his mp3player with his headphones, to Zebrahead's Down Without a Fight. Just sitting back, takin' a nap or listening to music is something he usually does after saving the world.

"Mr. Sonic." A voice said, getting his attention. The blue hedgehog looked up, seeing CJ Miyamoto looking down at him. The blue blur pulled back his headphones from his ears, allowing himself to listen.

"Sonic's just fine." The blue hedgehog said. "So... you one of those Kamen Riders or something?"

"In a way, yes" CJ answered.

"Well were you zapped from a TV show and brought here?" Sonic joked.

"No." CJ said with a smile, knowing that the hedgehog possessed some cockiness.

"Well, what's your story?" Sonic asked. "I mean, you're sixteen right? How'd someone like you end up working for the SPD? Did they find you?"

"Not like you." CJ said. "My parents were originally members of the SPD."

"Ah, so it runs in the family." Sonic said. "I'm familiar with that."

"They were part of a strike team known as the A-Squad." CJ continued. "A group of multi-activists and mercenaries who work to take down various Kaijin around the world."

"Kaijin?" Sonic asked. "You mean monsters?"

"Humanoid monsters." CJ answered. "You know, tokusatsu warrior, and all those other beasts that walk human-like and such."

"Oh." Sonic said, and started thinking. "There was an invasion with those aliens a while back. Are they like that?"

"No." CJ said. "Those were just aliens. And you're referring to the black a-"

"Shh." Sonic said, his finger over his own mouth, urging CJ to be quiet.

"What?" The boy asked. The blue hedgehog nudged his head to the right, pointing to Sally, who was speaking with Chase and Alyx.

"Princess Acorn?" CJ asked.

"She's had a bad experience during that time, and we try not to bring it up." Sonic said. "Trauma, so to speak."

"Oh." CJ said, having a good idea on what the blue hedgehog meant by trauma. "Well then, I'll say no more. But enough about me though. What about you? How'd you get involved with the dragons' fight against the Huntslcan?"

"Funny you should say that." Sonic said. "How did you know about the magical creatures?"

"We've always had them on our radar." CJ said. "But we've kept our distance so they won't be disturbed. But how'd you end up knowing about them?"

"Not in the way you expect." Sonic said, sitting up more. "Last summer I met Jake when he and I were captured by the Huntslcan."

"The red dragon?" CJ asked.

"Yeah, the American Dragon." Sonic said. "We were tied up to poles and chains with a bad luck-stricken leperchan, a mermaid who was scared of water, a giant with terrible foot oder, and a little creature with anger issues."

"Wow." CJ said, a bit surprised. "That's... interesting."

"Yeah, but we managed to escape and turn the tables on the Hunters." Sonic said. "That's how I've been helping Jake and his friends, and I've been number two on the Huntsclan's Most Wanted List ever since. Plus, my dad had a little run in with the Huntsclan before I was even born. He threw the Huntsmen Leader into a pit of monsters, and that's why the Huntsman has a bone to pick with me... or had one, now that he's dead."

"Oh, your dad was a warrior?" CJ asked.

"An Assassin, so to speak." Sonic said. "A group of warriors who fight against corruption and protect everyone's free will. My dad was the leader of the pack, and he stepped down to look after me and my mom. It's a long story."

"Well you don't need to tell me." CJ said as he sat down next to the blue hedgehog.

"Hey, thanks for helping me back at City Hall." Sonic said. "I wouldn't have stopped them if you haven't jumped in."

"Eh, we've been wanting to stop them for a while now, so we did everyone a favor." CJ said.

"Yeah." Sonic said, though the whole scene of the Huntslcan's attack in public still lingered in his mind. "I'm actually surprised that the Huntsclan got desparate and resorted to doing an attack in the eyes of the public instead of being hidden. Guess I should've taken Rose's warning seriously."

"Who?" CJ asked.

"The Huntsgirl." Sonic said. "She's also... Jake's girlfriend." CJ raised an eyebrow.

"So wait, the Huntsgirl was helping the American Dragon?" He asked.

"Yeah." Sonic said. "Until the Huntsman found out, and threatened to kill her parents if she didn't betray Jake. But now that the Huntsclan is finished, she can now go be with her parents again. She's got her family back, she and Jake are dating, so everyone wins." Seeing the blue hedgehog smile made CJ smile too.

"You just love happy endings, do you."

"Yeah." Sonic said. "I always make sure people get a happy ending when we save the world."

"Well, just don't expect getting a happy ending too easily this tim around." CJ said. "SPD's had to deal with a lot."

"And you guys decided to call me in, for what now?" Sonic asked.

"You'll know when we get there, which shouldn't be too long." CJ said, then turned his head back to the cockpit. "Barney, we almost there yet?"

"Just about." Barney responded.

"Good." Sonic said as he got up. "I'm ready to move. I just hope I'm good for the job."

"You are, from what Doctor Vance said." CJ said.

"It's really gonna be nice to see Vance and the others again." Sonic said. "Haven't seen them since the invasion."

"Well, this isn't just aliens we're gonna be dealing with, blue hedgehog." CJ said. "We're dealing with evil organizations, and Kaijin. The whole world, the whole universe is a lot more bigger ad weirder than you realize."

"Well, with all the stuff I've seen over the years, I doubt anything would surprise me." Sonic said.

"Twenty bucks says you're wrong." CJ said.

"Challenge accepted." Sonic said looking back at the boy with a wink. At this moment, CJ knew that despite Sonic's incredible abilities, he was showing some cockiness. But for some reason, he liked it.

* * *

It was already almost two-o-clock when they arrived. The Copter Jet was slowing down as it approached the Forest Region of Virginia. Somewhere close was a campsite where Marching Bands would go out there to practice and have fun. However, the campgrounds is pretty much a cover up, because deep within the forest was a big facility that looked very beyond modern, and more futuristic, consisting of a few cannons moving a little bit, a couple of satellites scanning the skies, and a landing zone. It was almost like a military base, but not like the army or the marines. It was pretty nice and big.

"Red Leader, we're approaching base." Barney said.

"Copy that, Red 1." A voice said. "We're opening the doors now." Tails laughed as he heard them talk.

"Star Wars reference." He said. The Copter Jet slowed down as it hovered in front of the two massive doors. The doors opened up, revealing a huge landing zone room, so big that it was almost like a warehouse. But bigger. Inside the sector were different vehicles, all of them high tech, consisting of some more copter jets, some walkers, tanks, trucks with turrets, even bigger helicopters too that could carry soldiers and passengers too. descended on the landing zone. As it finally touched the ground, the back entrance opened up, allowing Sonic to step out and see. The nice fortress before him was incredible... but not exactly what he expected.

"With it being called the Space Police Delta, I thought it would be a space station." Sonic said as CJ followed him out.

"Bases don't have to be in space." He said. "We protect the planet from other threats in space, so to speak."

"Ooooh." Sonic said as Tails, Sally, Marshall, Chase, Alyx, and Barney exited the jet. The Dalmatian firepup looked around with amazement. A huge smile was on his face, seeing the cool base up ahead.

"Wow!" Marshall said. "This place is pretty cool!"

"It is cool." Chase said. "But we don't got time for site seeing. Let's go." The policepup, Alyx, and Barney led the group towards the base, passing some of the soldiers, who were out jogging, and training. Pretty much the usual military drills and exercises that take place at the Army or at Boot Camp. One of the leading soldiers were singing, with the other troops singing as well.

I don't know what I've been told!

"I don't know what I've been told!"

Killing monsters dead and bold!

"Killing monsters dead and bold!" As they continued on, Sonic couldn't help but watch them for a second.

"I guess with all of this, it probably feels a bit weird, does it?" Sonic asked.

"Nah, it's pretty much familiar." CJ said. "Thought I think they take the training too literally."

"Tell me about it." Sonic said. Pretty soon, the group made their way across the landing zone into much further into the base. The halls and rooms, including the doors that open up, were just like from the Star Wars movies, except the rooms aren't just white. Each room and hall had different coloring with them, such as red, green, yellow, blue, all different colors.

"Say, where's Eli?" Sonic asked.

"We'll meet him real soon." Barney said. "Really soon." The group then came across a door, and it opened up, revealing a nice huge room with multiple screens and a computer pad up front. This must be the main room, given that the SPD sigil was on the screen. Far at the end were three people talking to each other. One, that Sonic knew very well, was Eli Vance, the dark skinned man with the grey beard and hair. Talking with him were two other people that Sonic seemed to know as well. One was Arne Magnusson, the Caucasian stocky man with grey hair somewhere in his sixties, with the blue suit, red tie and the black pants. The other was Dr. Isaac Kleiner, the bald man with white hair on his back and sides, black glasses, and he wore a white lap suit with blue jeans and tie.

Magnusson was one of the few survivors of the Black Mesa Incident, being a former member of the Science Team and was an orchestrator of the Resistance during the Black Arms Invasion. Now he was one of the leading members of the SPD's USA Fraction, giving orders and informing those of their objectives. He has a fussy, petulant nature, constantly complaining about getting things done. A bit verbose, egotistical and authoritarian, he thinks highly of himself and his work, to the point of naming them after himself, but he does have a softer side, showing gratitude to his allies, and to the ones he works with.

Kleiner is a prolific author of several works on teleportation and interdimensional travel, and one of the few survivors of the Black Mesa Research Facility. He was a member of the Resistance against the Black Arms, and is now one of the prime members of the SPD Science Team. Kleiner is a bit reserved, logical, and cautious in most situations, but he loves to work and is quite supportive of the team.

Sonic has met these three, along with Alyx and Barney when they formed the Resistance during the Black Arms invasion when the Black Arms invaded the planet to harvest it for it's natural resources and capture humans for reproductive purposes. Together, with help from a black hedgehog, they were able to wipe out the Black Arms from extinction. They also helped Sonic in his battle to stop Dr. Eggman and banish him to the far reaches of space, shortly before reuniting with Sally. The blue hedgehog was quite surprised that these guys are now with the SPD. It seems the Resistance didn't have anything else to do.

"Hey, did someone order a blue hedgehog?" Sonic asked, getting their attention. Eli gave a smile as he saw Sonic and his daughter Alyx.

"Hey dad." Alyx said as she gave her dad a hug.

"Good to see you again, baby." Eli said, then turned his attention towards Sonic. "Good to see you again, Sonic."

"Good to see you too Eli." Sonic said as he shook his hand.

"I see you have met Agent Miyamoto." Eli said.

"Sure have." Sonic said.

"Good to see you again, Doctor Vance." CJ said.

"Excuse me." A voice said from behind Eli, revealing to be Magnusson. "Sonic the hedgehog, good to see you again."

"You as well sir." Sonic said, the turned to Kleiner. "And Dr. Kleiner."

"Good to see you again, Sonic." Kleiner said. "It's been a while, hasn't it."

"Hello Dr. Kleiner." Tails said. "Nice to see you again too."

"You too, Tails." Kleiner said, with him and Tails have a good friendship for their love of working on new gadgets and such. "I can't wait to show you what I've been working."

"Right, well, it's nice that everyone's meeting everyone now." Magnusson said. "But we got business to do. Time is precious." Eli and Kleiner nodded, knowing that Magnusson didn't want to wait any longer.

"Alright." Sonic said.

"Agent Chase, you better get washed up, and give the Dalmatian a tour so he doesn't get lost." Magnusson said.

"Sure thing, Magnusson." Chase said while Marshall looked confused.

"But should I stay here?" Marshall asked. "I mean, I wanna see what we're fighting against."

"C'mon Marshall." Chase said as he pulled the Dalmatian's tail with his mouth, dragging him away and out of the room.

"Don't worry, Marsh." Sonic said. "I'll fill you in when we're done, ok?"

"Ok." Marshall said with a smile, and noticed that Chase was still pulling him out of the room. "You don't have to do that."

"Sorry." Chase said as he let go of the Dalmatian's tail and the two headed out.

"Calhoun, you give Mr. Prower the tour as well." Magnusson said. "And Miss Vance, head for the computer room and sort out the files we found at the site."

"Will do." Alyx said. "See you guys."

"You too." Sonic said.

"C'mon Tails, I'll show you around." Barney said. The two tailed fox looked at Sonic, who gave a nod.

"Alright then." Tails said. "Do you guys have a mess hall? I'm getting kind of hungry."

"Sure thing." Barney said as they exited the room, leaving Sonic, Sally, CJ, Eli, Magnusson, and Kleiner in the room.

"Arne Magnusson." Sally said as she approached the man. "I'm Princess Sally Acorn, daughter of-"

"Yes, we know you're King Acorn's daughter." Magnusson said. "Are you sure you wish not to join Mr. Prower and Calhoun."

"It's fine." Sally said. "I too would like to be informed on what's going on."

"I'm not sure." Kleiner said.

"Don't worry, guys." Sonic said. "Anything you say to me you can say in front of her. She can handle it." The three men looked at each other. They each gave a nod.

"Alright then, let's get to work." Magnusson said. "Sonic the hedgehog, you know why you're here, do you?"

"Yeah, you guys need my help?" Sonic asked.

"Definitely." Kleiner said.

"So tell us, Sonc." Magnusson said as they approached the computer. "Are you familiar or have any knowledge of the Dark Phoenix?"

"Dark Phoenix?" Sonic asked. "What are they, a terrorist group or something?"

"Not just a terrorist group." Magnusson replied. "They're a terrorist organization, a notorious one to be procise. They are consisted of rogue government agents, defective soldiers, and dangerous criminals from around the globe."

"So it's a convention center for evil doers?" Sonic asked, with all eyes on him.

"Whatever you want to call it." Magnusson said. "The organization is led by someone we all know and hate, Wallace Breen, former scientist of Black Mesa." They then pulled up an image of Wallace Breen, the man with the dark green suit, dark slate eyes, and the white hair and short beard. Sonic was told about Wallace Breen when he helped the Resistance deal with the Black Arms from their old stories of Black Mesa, so he wasn't too surprised.

"What else is new." Sonic said.

"This is much different than dealing with a mustached scientist." Kleiner spoke. "The Dark Phoenix are trying to or have been, collecting ancient Kaiju and Tokusatsu artifacts." The blue hedgehog looked at the scientist with confusion.

"Toku-what now?" Sonic asked, raising an eyebrow. "You mean monsters that walk and fight like humans? Like from those Kamen Rider and Power Rangers shows?"

"Yes." Kleiner said. "They're monsters that walk and move like humans, but they also come in all shapes and sizes. The Dark Phoenix have been trying to collect their artifacts for a while now."

"But why are they collecting to artifacts?" Sally asked.

"To weaponize their forces." Kleiner said. They're collecting the artifacts to improve their weapons and use their weapons for their own uses. They're recent collection, Shadow-Kaijin artifacts, wielded and housed by the Shadowkan, monsters of the SHADOW Empire." Kleiner then brought up photos of the Shadow-kajin, showing humanoid demonic monstrosities in different shapes and sizes. Sally's eyes widened, seeing the different types of Shadow-Kaijin that were displayed.

"Oh my god." She said.

"Wow." Sonic said, feeling a little surprised. "So the Dark Phoenix are using the Shadowkan artifacts to upgrade their technology and take over the planet."

"They're not just using their technology." Kleiner said. "We believe that they're creating monsters with the artifacts."

"Creating their own Shadowkan?" Sonic asked.

"Yeah." CJ said, getting the hedgehog's attention. "The Dark Phoenix are trying to use something that they're not gonna be able to control. The Shadowkan are unholy monsters that want to take over our planet." The blue hedgehog looked at the boy with a bit of suspicion, having a feeling that CJ has faced these monsters before.

"That tells me that you've faced these monsters more than once, right?" Sonic asked.

"Yeah, for a few years now." CJ said. "The Shadowkan have been trying to take over the planet for years, dating back many centuries. My family have been sworn to fight against them."

"And you've taken the mantle." Sonic said.

"Yes." CJ said. "Trust me, blue hedgehog, the Shadowkan are not to be taken lightly." The blue hedgehog looked forward and started to think. No doubt that he knew that this was serious business. But he's dealt with serious business before, so yes.

"Ok, so it's you and me facing against these Dark Phoenix guys and those Shadow-Mutants?" Sonic asked.

"And others as well." Magnusson said. "We have a plan to take down the Dark Phoenix, but you're gonna need some back up if we're to execute this plan." He then turned to the doors. With a nod, the door opened, showing soldiers of the SPD, wearing white armor with black suits underneath. They all wore helmets with visors, and each of them had a different coloring one them. They all marched into the room and formed a line. Sonic only looked, with no expression.

"What the what is this?" Sonic asked.

"This is your combat team." Kleiner said as he approached the soldiers. "These fine and brave soldiers will accompany you and Agent Miyamoto to take on the missions we have to take down the Dark Phoenix. They are outfited with the best armor and suits our money can buy... at least some of it." Sonic looked at the doctor, then back at the soldiers. The look on his face showed that he was not liking this at all.

"You gotta be kidding me." Sonic said. "Is this a joke or something?"

"No, it's not a joke." Magnusson said.

"So wait, you expect me to work with these men in tights?" Sonic asked. "No way." Hearing that surprised Magnusson, Eli, and Kleiner.

"What do you mean no way?" Magnusson said.

"There is no way in hell that I'm working with these guys." Sonic said. "I'm not gonna run into battle with some futuristic versions of Robin Hood's Merry Men. No sir. Please tell me that you guys got something with more... variety."

"Variety?" Magnusson asked.

"You know, like this guy." Sonic said, pointing to CJ. "This guy, I can work with. I've seen him in battle, seen him with he cool transformations, and that's variety. I wanna work with people who have variety. Do you guys have variety or not?" Magnusson and Kleiner looked at each other, with the latter shaking his head worryingly.

"No." Magnusson said. The blue hedgehog frowned.

"I'm out." Sonic said as he turned away and made his way towards the door.

"What?" Magnusson asked.

"I'm out." Sonic said. "Exit's this way so I'll head out." He then made his way towards the door, with Sally only shaking her head.

"Oh boy." She said.

"Sonic the hedgehog, we have a world to save-" Magnusson said.

"Well, I'm not saving the world with a bunch of guys wearing tights." Sonic said. "Sorry, I'll take my leave now." He then headed out the door. Magnusson only sighed in defeat, with Kleiner shaking his head.

"I'll go talk to him." Sally said as she removed herself from the group and ran out the door to talk with the blue blur, while everyone else stayed in. CJ looked at everyone.

"So, do we got a Plan B?" He asked.

"Just give him time." Eli said. "He'll come around." No one said a word, except for one of the soldiers.

"I told you these tights were stupid." The soldier said.

* * *

Back in the hallway, Sonic was making his way out. There was no way in hell he was working with a bunch of dudes wearing tights. Tights aren't really his style. Unfortunately, he couldn't find the exit.

"Sonic!" Sally called from behind, catching up to him. "What are you doing?"

"I'm getting out of here." Sonic said.

"Sonic, I think you should really help them out." Sally said. "They sound like they really need you."

"They want me to work with a bunch of guys wearing tights." Sonic said. "I don't like working with people in tights."

"Well at least I now know why you didn't want to work with GUN." Sally said.

"That's different." Sonic said. "They have guns."

"These guys have guns." Sally said. Sonic was about to speak, but he couldn't think of what else to say about that."

"You make a good point there." Sonic said, with Sally sighing. "Look, I do want to help, but I don't wanna work with a bunch a guys wearing suits. CJ-boy I'm cool with because he's a hero too. He has variety, and I want variety." Sally rolled her eyes.

"It's always about variety with you." Sally said.

"Can't you blame me?" Sonic asked.

"Sonic, you should really think about this." Sally said. "This isn't like CHAOS, Space Colonies, fake hedgehogs, or all that other stuff you've been through. This is a terrorist organization they're up against, who want to use monsters from another universe to take over this world, and if they succeed..." As she kept talking, Sonic only rolled his eyes and smiled. He's had conversations like this with Sally countless times, and even though the lecturing would go on, he would just love every second of it, even if it was with him. But then something caught the hedgehog's attention. In the room behind Sally, where they showed some monitors. Taking interest, the blue hedgehog moved pass Sally, who was surprised that he wasn't listening to her.

"Sonic?" Sally asked. "Sonic, are you even listening to me?" He didn't answer and just went into the room. The chipmunk stood there but gave a defeated sigh.

"Oh brother." She said, shaking her head. Into the room with the monitors, Sonic was exploring the area, seeing the massive screen, with a couple of screens next to it. It was a bit small, but it looked pretty cool. Standing at the computer was Alyx, who was doing research.

"Wow." Sonic said, getting her attention. "Nice room."

"Thanks." Alyx said. "Sorry if it's a little small."

"Well, it's nice." Sonic said. "I was expecting this to be a bit bigger."

"We've had some budget cutbacks recently." Alyx said. "Japan houses it's main SPD, and we have many others in other countires. This is the US SPD Base, but like I said, we had cutbacks."

"Guess that explains the men in the armored tights." Sonic said, shaking his head.

"Yeah, my dad knew using soldiers to help you and CJ was a bad idea, since he knows you're the hedgehog who likes variety." Alyx said.

"At least you guys understand." Sonic said, with Alyx giving a smile. "So, what's all this for?"

"Pretty much everything that helps keep our stuff from falling apart." Alyx said. "You know, archives and info that we sort here."

"Whatcha sort out?" Sonic asked.

"Some new stuff that we got." Alyx said. "Computer files and such. Two days ago we investigated an abandoned factory and found some cool stuff underneath it."

"And what's that?" Sonic asked.

"A super computer." Alyx answered.

"Super computer?" The blue blur asked, and then he started thinking. Hearing that made him remember an adventure a while back, where he met these five kids who were battling an evil program. Of course, he actually met them during his adventure fighting against Shadow and the whole Space Colony mishap, well, one of them at least. "You know, I think I've seen a super computer under a factory almost more than a year ago."

"You have?" Alyx asked.

"Yeah, it's actually interesting." Sonic said. "I met some kids who were using it to fight against some malicious program that was trying to use the internet to take over the world, or something like that."

"Really?" Alyx asked.

"Yeah, did the computer you find did that too?" Sonic asked.

"We never got the chance to see, we only turned it on to salvage the data it was housing." Alyx said. "The whole super computer housed information and schematics of a project that my dad was a part of back at Black Mesa."

"And what project was that?" Sonic asked.

"Project Carthage." Alyx said.

"Carthage." Sonic said, but then he started to think again. Carthage. Where did he hear that word before? Come to think of it, those kids he met back after dealing with the Shadow incident. He heard that word from them. No, this is probably just a coincidence.

"Yep." Alyx said as she brought up the files. "Project Carthage was an ambitious project consisted of many scientists that worked in the field of quantum physics. According to the press, it was designed to disrupt enemy communications."

"According to the press?" Sonic asked. "Sounds like mis-information. What was it's real purpose?"

"To open a portal to other worlds." Alyx said. "Carthage originally was built to build a gate way to allow one to be transported from one place to another. It's prototype was used to travel to other places through the worldwide web, while the final product was used to transport one person to a complete new world to their selection. Many scientists believed that it was used to help humanity move on to the next world when Earth came to an end."

"But it didn't work out as they hoped?" Sonic asked.

"No." Alyx said. "Some of the scientists, and those in charge of the project had their own ambitions and wanted to use Project Carthage to take over the world. And one of those leaders was this guy." She then brought up a photo of none other than Wallace Breen! But in this photo he had brown short hair and no mustache and beard. This was a photo of Breen when he was younger.

"Breen." Sonic said. "The guy who runs the Dark Phoenix."

"True that." Alyx replied. "He was in charge of the whole thing and wanted to use it to take over the world, to bring in monsters into our world. We think that the Dark Phoenix is trying to recreate Carthage to some extent."

"To summon more of those Shadowkan monsters." Sonic said. "Can't believe a bunch of pin head scientists fell for these pricks' masquerade."

"Hey, one of those pin heads was my father." Alyx said, showing a photo of a younger Eli Vance, where in this photo he had darker hair and a youthful expression.

"Oh... Sorry." Sonic said.

"It's fine." Alyx said. "He wasn't the only one who was fooled. A lot of scientists were deceived. Including these ones. Only a handful of them are alive today." She then brought up more photos of other scientists, many of the brightest minds that are not known by everyone. But as Sonic scanned the screen however, his eyes widened, seeing one particular photo on the computer. The picture he was staring closely at was a photo of a man. The man had grey hair, and a grey beard as well. He wore dark sunglasses, and he wore a greyish colored sweater with a white lab coat.

"Wait, wait." Sonic said, his hand pointing at the man he was staring at on screen. "Who is that? That man?"

"Him?" Alyx asked. "That Professor Waldo Schaeffer, one of the scientists who worked on the project."

"Franz Hopper." Sonic said, getting Alyx's full attention.

"You know him?" She asked.

"Yeah..." Sonic said. He knew this man before. He never did meet him, but he did remember meeting his daughter and her friends. Aelita Stones, Jeremie Belpois, Odd Della Robbia, Ulrich Stern and Yumi Ishiyama. Two years back, around the time he came to the human world, he met with those kids and helped them combat XANA, an artificial intellegent entity in the Cyberspace of Lyoko. He definitely remembered those events, because shortly after that, he faced off against Shadow, dealing with GUN, and the Space Colony Ark. He couldn't believe he almost forgot about them, including his promise to Aelita that he would see her again. Sonic looked at Alyx.

"Where did you get this?" Sonic asked.

"He was part of Project Carthage years ago." Alyx spoke, showing different photos of Franz Hopper, along with images of Carthage and it's concept. "He even constructed a supercomputer that we found two days ago." The blue hedgehog froze upon hearing that. The computer they found was built by Franz Hopper? Now this was no coincidence, because the super computer that he and his human friends were using was also built by Franz Hopper!

"Wait, wait." Sonic said. "This super computer that you found underneath the factory. Was it under an old abandoned Renault Factory?" Alyx's eyes widened with surprise.

"Yes." She said. "Wait, how did you know-"

"Because, that computer was the same computer my friends were using to fight against XANA, that evil program." Sonic said.

"It was?!" Alyx asked.

"Yeah." Sonic said. "Now this is no coincidence!"

"Wait, how do you know about Franz Hopper?" Alyx asked.

"Because one of the kids, Aelita!" Sonic said. "Aelita Stones. She's his daughter!" Alyx's eyes widened even more, hearing that. She had heard from her father that Franz Hopper had a daughter who disappeared with him a long time ago. But Sonic met her?

"Wait, you met Hopper's daughter?" She asked. "She's Alive?!"

"Yeah, but Hopper wasn't really her last name." Sonic said. "I mean it was, but her real last name was Schaeffer. Her dad changed his name to her mother's maiden name to shake off his pursuers. This is amazing! Oh man, she and Jeremie are gonna be so excited when they hear about this!" Alyx was too dumbstruck with suprise to even speak. He actually spoke to Franz Hopper's daughter?

"Wait, how did you meet her?" Alyx asked.

"I had a crazy run in with her while dealing with Shadow, and he and Eggman kidnapped her after that Prison Island incident, and me and my friends, and her friends traveled to the Space Colony Ark to save her and stop the cannon from exploding and everything." Sonic said. "I've been helping them a bit dealing with the outside while they were inside the computer to stop XANA and rescue one of their friends." The blue hedgehog didn't want to explain more. He always heard Aelita talking about her father, and how Jeremie was interested in learning a bit more about Franz. And the others, Odd, Ulrich and Yumi, they would all be so thrilled to hear about this! He wanted to tell them so badly. Wait, he can bring them here!

"Alyx, can you send a call to Kadic Academy for me?" Sonic asked.

"Kadic Academy?" Alyx asked.

"Yeah, they go to school there!" Sonic said. "Link me up to their phones and I can tell them everything and bring them here. Aelita and Jeremie are gonna love this!" Alyx quickly remembered Kadic Academy, and the incident there, but Sonic doesn't know.

"Wait, Sonic!" Alyx said, her face disheartening. "We can't call them." The blue hedgehog turned his head with surprise.

"Why not?" Sonic asked. "Is it because this SPD thing needs to be kept secre-"

"Kadic Academy was destroyed." Alyx answered. Those words froze Sonic up, his entire face widened with shock... and disbelief.

"Wh...What?" Sonic asked.

"Sonic... Kadic Academy was destroyed about a year ago." Alyx said. The blue hedgehog looked at her confused. The school was destroyed?!

"What? What are you talking about?" Sonic asked.

"Here..." Alyx said as she pushed the photos on the computer aside and brought up an article relating to Kadic Academy. The article explained:

_**HEADLINE: TERROR STRIKES KADIC**_

_On September 13th, Kadic Academy became a battlefield of a massive school shooting where men in masked suits fired guns everywhere in the halls and rooms. The lives of hundreds of young students were taken on this horrific day. There were no survivors._

Sonic's eyes widened with shock as he saw the words No Survivors. No, he thought. It can't be true. It just can't be...

"No survivors..." Sonic said.

"We did some research on the attack, and it was lead by Hydra Force, the Dark Phoenix's most elite soldiers." Alyx said, but noticed that Sonic wasn't listening and staring at the article. "Sonic?"

"Can you pull up the information on Jeremie Belpois?" Sonic asked.

"What?" Alyx asked.

"Jeremie Belpois, he's one of the students I know at that school." Sonic said. "Please tell me..." Alyx began typing information into the datascape, and brought up a photo of Jeremie Belpoise, the blonde hair kid with the glasses and brown sweater.

_**Name: **__Jeremie Belpois_

_**Age: **__13_

_**Country of Origin: **__France_

_**Status: **__Dead_

Sonic's eyes widened, seeing the word dead on Jeremie's status page. He was dead? Oh my god. Tails wasn't going to like this. He looked at the ground, trying to think. If Jeremie was one of the victims of the attack, then could that mean. No... no, not the others.

"Try Odd Robbia Della." Sonic said. Alyx typed away, revealing an image of Odd, the boy with yellow hair with partial of it dyed purple at the top, in a purple hoodie, holding up a grey dog in his arms.

_**Name: **__Odd Robbia Della_

_**Age: **__13_

_**Country of Origin**__: Italy_

_**Status: **__Dead_

"He's gone too." Alyx said. Sonic only cringed. Not Odd too, he thought. He was a funny guy. Why did the funny guy have to die?

"Anyone else?" Alyx asked.

"Ulrich Stern." Sonic continued. Alyx typed in the name, showing an image of Ulrich Stern, the boy with scruffy-looking brown hair and dark eyes, wearing an army jacket.

_**Name: **__Ulrich Stern_

_**Age: **__14_

_**Country of Origin: **__Germany_

_**Status: **__Dead_

"Oh no..." Sonic said, reading the dead word. Ulrich was gone too! He lowered his head, and spoke the next name.

"Yumi Ishiyama..." Sonic said, with Alyx typing the girl's name. The image showed a japanese girl with black hair with side of the front on the right, wearing black clothing and boots.

_**Name: **__Yumi Ishiyama_

_**Age: **__15_

_**Country of Origin: **__Japan_

_**Status: **__Dead_

"She's gone too." Alyx said, as Sonic only knelt down on his knees. She was gone too. Not the Lyoko Warriors. They were such great kids. Had such bright futures. If they're gone... does that mean Aelita's dead too?

"Aelita Stones..." Sonic said, praying that she's not dead. Alyx typed the words in, and her profile and the results came up.

_**Name: **__Aelita Stones_

_**Age: **__13_

_**Country of Origin: **__Canada (Likely French or Canadian)_

_**Status: **__Dead._

"I'm sorry, Sonic." Alyx said. Sonic's eyes widened and squinted one last time, as sadness began to take over. No, he thought. Not Aelita. Not innocent Aelita. She already suffered so much. The blue hedgehog lowered his head.

"Sonic?" Alyx asked.

"I need to be alone." Sonic said as he turned away, walking slowly, passing Sally on the way out.

"Sonic?" Sally asked, but Sonic didn't answer as he walked down the hall, leaving the chipmunk confused.

Eventually Sonic was halfway down the stairway, sitting on one of the steps. He was rubbing his head with his hand, pinched between his eyes. He was trying to believe that this was a dream, but it wasn't. He couldn't believe it. His human friends from Kadic were gone. They were all gone. Jeremie, Odd, Ulrich, Yumi, and Aelita. The memories of his time with them were popping into his head. Listening to Jeremie's theory on Lyoko and XANA, challenging Odd to a hot-dog eating contest, helping Ulrich get closer to Yumi, and even arguing with Yumi in the process. But the memories he cherished the most was his time with Aelita, where he helped her come to terms with her current ordeal, helping her face XANA, and also her and her friends helping Sonic face Shadow, and that craziness with the Space Colony Ark. Sonic couldn't believe that she was gone too.

_"You will come back and visit, will you?"_

_"Of course I will. I'll see you again."_

_"You promise?"_

_"It's a promise."_

The memory of that conversation between him and Aelita came back to Sonic's head, making him shed a couple more tears. He made a promise that he would see her again. But now she's gone. Now he can't fullfill that promise.

"Sonic?"

The voice got the hedgehog's attention. He turned to see Marshall, staring at him in confusion.

"Oh, hey Marshall." Sonic said. The dalmatian pup approached him.

"You look sad, Sonic." Marshall said. "Is something wrong?" Sonic looked at the pup, who probably wouldn't understand the ordeal, but the blue hedgehog spoke.

"I made a promise to someone." Sonic said. "But now she's gone... and I can't fullfill that promise." The Dalmatian firepup, who quickly realized what he meant, moved closer and nuzzled his cheek, giving him comfort. Touched by the gesture, the blue hedgehog hugged his loyal companion. Nobody could see it, but a tear dripped from Sonic's eyes.

_"The girl is alive..."_

The sudden mythical voice made Sonic open his eyes. He released Marshall and turned his head. He looked over to the wall to see someone about his height. It was another anthropian, but this one was a Lynx, with the ends of her ears colored black, while the rest of her body was brown while there was astripe along the bridge of her nose as well as one under each eye. Her eyes were green and she had long hair with splits at the ends that she wears down. She wore a shoulder-less sleeveless purple dress with split tails, decorated with a small broach. She wore long black pants, black and white gloves with purple cuffs and shes with silver cuffs and toes. Sonic's eyes widened, seeing the Lynx, and not only that, Marshall could see her too.

"Nicole...!" Sonic said. This was Nicole the Lynx, an ancient spiritual lynx who was not only a close friend to Sally, but also the messenger of the Gods themselves.

"The messenger!" Marshall said, showing that he met her before.

"The girl you promised to meet again is alive and well." Nicole the Lynx said. Sonic's eyes widened. She was talking about Aelita.

"Wait, Aelita is alive?" Sonic asked.

"Yes." Nicole the Lynx said. "Suffered so much after you departed. Safe and sound with a family you know well. But a cruel end will befall her if you do not act quickly. The Phoenix casts it's darkness upon her, seeking her for a purpose no one her age should bare." Sonic raised an eyebrow. A Phoenix casts it's shadow upon her? Nicole is probably talking about the Dark Phoenix and the Shadowkan. Are they after Aelita? But for what? For her father's research?"

"Tell me." Sonic said. "What do I need to do?"

"You must face the Phoenix and the Shadows they serve." Nicole the Lynx spoke. "Alone you do not have to fight. Find others to aid you, heroes you befriended in the past. Together you will triumph against the Shadows, and be one step closer to your destiny." Suddenly, she began to fade away.

"Nicole!" Sonic called out, his hand reaching out to her, but she was already gone. With her being a messenger of the gods, she can't stay for too long. The blue hedgehog remained silent, until Marshall spoke up.

"Wow." Marshall said. "I guess with her being a messenger, she comes and goes, doesn't she. Sonic?" Soinic glanced down at the ground, and clenched his fist. He reached into his pocket, a pocket where he keeps most of his photos. He pulled out one that had the group of friends back at Kadic Academy; Jeremie, Odd, Ulrich, Yumi, and Aelita. Thoughts were going through his head as he looked at the photo. Aelita was still alive somewhere. And if he wanted to find her, he's gonna have to help the SPD face against the Dark Phoenix and the Shadowkan. After all, those Phoenix bastards killed some of his friends, and there was no way in tartarus he was going to let them get away with it. But then he reflected on what Nicole the Lynx told him. Find others to aid him, heroes he's befriended in the past. If he's gonna stop the Dark Phoenix and the Shadowkan, he's gonna need a team... a team of heroes.

"I know what I need to do." Sonic said.

* * *

Inside the meeting room, Magnusson, Eli, and of course Kleiner were discussing what to do next. They were speaking with CJ and Sally, the latter was asked to convince Sonic to help them. It seems they can't do this without his help.

"You want me to convince him to join?" Sally asked.

"He listens to you." Magnusson said. "You have to at least try."

"Why?" Sally asked.

"Because, he's closer to you." Magnusson said.

"I already tried, but I'm not gonna gang up on him on your word." Sally said. "Besides, me and Sonic, we're already rebuilding our trust right now, and I'm not risking destroying that again." Magnusson sighed, clearly showing that he didn't want to hear that.

"Well, we're gonna have to give him a reason to join." Kleiner said. "Maybe if we find something the Dark Phoenix has, maybe it'll be something that will convince Mr. Sonic to help us."

"Well he doesn't want to work with our boys, so why not give him people he can work with." Eli said.

"Eli, you should know that the X-Squad Initiative was scrapped." Magnusson said.

"This isn't about the X-Squad." Eli said. "I'm saying we should get Sonic some people he can trust and work with." CJ's attention was brought in as he heard Eli mention the X-Squad. He has heard rumors back in the JP Section of the SPD about concepts for this X-Squad, but he never heard the full details.

"I'm sorry, what's this X-Squad Initiative you spoke about?" CJ asked, grabbing their attention.

"Just an idea." Magnusson said.

"To bring a group of valiant people-" Eli said.

"We don't need to hear that Eli." Magnusson said.

"He's right, we have more important things to worry about." Kleiner said.

"I do believe Dr. Vance has a point though." CJ said. "We should at least make a response team with friends. I do happen to have someone in mind who may be able to help us as well."

"War isn't won by sentiment." Magnusson said.

"No, it's won by soldiers." CJ said.

"Guys..." Sally said, getting their attention. "Look, I know Sonic is... well... difficult to convince some times, but you can't just force him to help. Just give him time to think about it."

"Time is something that we do not have!" Magnusson said.

"I'll do it." The group turned to see Sonic standing in the doorway. No doubt he probably was listening, but he just appeared right at the door.

"I'll do it." Sonic said.

"You will?" Magnusson asked, a bit surprised.

"Sonic, are you sure?" Sally asked.

"Yes." Sonic said. "I'll help you guys fight against the Dark Phoenix." CJ rose from his chair.

"You really mean that?" He asked as he stepped forward.

"Yeah, aren't you happy to hear that?" Sonic asked.

"Yes I am, but I'm just surprised." CJ said. "Magnusson was just trying to figure out how to convince you to join us."

"No need." Sonic said. "Those Phoenix guys, they killed some friends of mine at Kadic Academy. There's no way they're getting away with that. So I'm willing, able, and ready." Magnusson stepped forward and smiled, as did Eli.

"You have our graditude, Sonic the Hedgehog." Magnusson said.

"But if I help you guys, it'll be on a few conditions." Sonic said.

"And that would be?" Magnusson asked. Sonic then held up a photo of the Lyoko Warriors.

"Find this girl." Sonic said, his finger pointing directly on Aelita. "Her name is Aelita Stones. She's one of the victims from the Kadic Academy massecre. She's alive somewhere and I need you guys to find her." Magnusson looked at the photo, and somehow he feels like he's seen this girl before.

"How do you even know that she's alive?" Magnusson asked.

"I just know." Sonic said. "A messenger told me."

"Why her?" Magnusson asked.

"Because, she's Franz Hopper's daughter." Sonic said. Magnusson lifted his head up with surprise, as did Dr. Kleiner and Eli Vance.

"Franz Hopper?" Eli asked.

"Yes." Sonic said. "That girl is his daughter, and I need you guys to help me find her." Magnusson looked at Eli, who gave a nod. They were familiar with Franz Hopper, as he was one of Eli's closest friends. They heard that he disappeared, but they had no idea that his daughter, his flesh and blood was alive! Perhaps she could also help them as well.

"Alright, Sonic the Hedgehog." Magnusson said. "And the other condition?"

"I bring in some friends to help out." Sonic said.

"People outside the SPD?" Magnusson asked.

"Well they're assosiated with some groups I know about." Sonic said. "I'll get ahold of them and ask them for help. We're gonna need all of it if you guys are going against these Phoenix freaks."

"We were just discussing the matter, but we're not sure if that's a good idea." Magnusson said. "We can't just put our faith into a couple of complete strangers."

"They're not complete strangers." Sonic said. "To you they might, but to me, no. And don't worry, they're competent enough to help out. Look, you want my help, then let me bring in people I can work with. That's my final offer."

"I think that's a good idea." Eli said. "Who knows, they might impress you." Magnusson then glanced at CJ.

"Agent Miyamoto?" Magnusson asked, wanting his comment. CJ looked at the blue hedgehog and nodded.

"Well, I believe if Sonic brings in some friends he can work with well, then I'm sure we'll have an even better chance of defeating the Dark Phoenix." Magnusson looked back at Eli, who gave a nod. He then sighed and nodded.

"Alright then." Magnusson said. "But like Dr. Kleiner said, we don't have much time. You got thirty-six hours to get them."

"Deal." Sonic said.

"Ok." Magnusson said. "We'll give you word when it's time." The former doctor left the room, followed by Kleiner.

"I had a feeling that you would eventually help out." Eli said.

"If I'm honest, I wasn't thinking about abandoning you guys just yet." Sonic said.

"Good to hear." Eli said as he patted the hedgehog's shoulder. He then left the room, with Sally following behind.

"You be careful out there." Sally said as Sonic gave a wink. The princess left the room, leaving the hedgehog and CJ the only ones inside.

"So... you really think you can contact these friends of your's in that short of time?" CJ asked.

"You sound unconvinced." Sonic said.

"Well, even somebody with your speed has to have a limit." CJ said.

"Yeah, well that's something you don't wanna see." Sonic said. "But yes, I can get some friends here to help."

"Are they the same ones that were back in New York City?" CJ asked.

"Nah." Sonic said. "Jake deserves a break after taking down the Huntsclan. But the good news is that I know a lot of people."

"How many?" CJ asked.

"A long list." The blue blur answered.

"Well, we don't have much time going down the long list." CJ said.

"Won't have to." Sonic said. "For this kind of action, I already have a few ideas."

"So do I." CJ said. "Where's your ideas."

"One in Bellwood, two in the Wasteland, and the last two, it's complicated." Sonic said. "So that will be seven of us."

"Eight." CJ said.

"Eight?" Sonic asked.

"My idea included." CJ said. "You sure you can get them in less than 36 hours?"

"Dude, you're talking to the fastest thing alive here." Sonic said. "And, I have a lot of connections."

"Then I guess I'll leave you too it." CJ said as he got out of his seat, checking it clock. It was reading 2:00 PM. "You worry about getting your friends, I'll worry about mine. I'll contact you when we're ready to meet up."

"Ok, but out of curiosity, where's your idea?" Sonic asked. CJ stopped and turned his head.

"Great Lakes City." He said, and left the room, leaving Sonic to give a nod, but then his eyebrow rose in confusion.

"Michigan?" He asked and looked back at the doorway. "Who the hell lives in Michigan?"

* * *

**5!**

**Well, that's a wrap for this chapter. A little cameo of Nicole the Lynx from the Sonic comics. Her role is a messenger like Gentiana from Final Fantasy XV, which also influences the story in someway. But that's for another time.**

**So now in the next couple of chapters, we'll be introducing the rest of the main heroes who will be joining the team. The first one, I'm sure you know well.**


	13. Chapter 13: In the Loud House

**Ok, now we meet the next hero of the story! He has ten sisters, he has a chipped tooth, and he's a fan of Ace Savvy! But truth be told, he's a little different than you guys know. This takes place following an Alternate Timeline following No Such Luck, with everything else after that butchered. It's a two year time skip between that and this.**

**Also, I know the family lives in Royal Woods (Royal Oak in real life), but the setting is changed to Detroit, which is renamed Great Lakes City (Ronnie Anne's family lives in another town called Great Lakes City which I think is somewhere in Ohio, and the setting for The Casegrandes, but it doesn't exist in Hero-Quest Adventures so yes).**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

_**Chapter 13: In the Loud House**_

_**In Great Lakes City, Michigan**_

"Ok class, now before we all leave for the Summer, there are a lot of things that we must talk about. First off, what do we all plan to do during this summer vacation? If any one has any suggestions."

Mrs. Agnes Johnson, the middled aged teacher with the green sweater and dress, and red hair tied up in a bun with a pencil in it, was using the last few minutes to ask the class about what to do for Summer Vacation. However, the students in their chairs and desks were either bored, moaning, and or sleeping, which is what most classes would do on their last day of School.

However, there was one boy who was awake, and while he was not paying attention, he was actually doodling in his notebook. If you see a kid with white hair with a tuff of it sticking upward on his left side, then you'd know him. Lincoln Loud, the middle child of the Loud Family. He's the only male child in the family out of the eleven children of Rita and Lynn Sr. Loud. To keep it short, he has ten sisters all ranging from 3 to 19 years old. Perhaps living with a big family is the reason why his hair is white from the stress of dealing with ten sisters, but no. It's actually a genetic trait passed down in the family, since his grandfather has white hair like him. One wonders how someone like him can deal with living with 12 people in the Loud House. But over the past couple years, there has been a lot of improvement, and that would explain the absent of the bags over his eyes, which have faded. But that wasn't the only noticible difference, for the boy, who is now 13, has gone through some noticible changes. His hair was now a bit bushy and no longer short. He now wears a sleeveless jet-black leathered jacket over his orange apollo shirt. Around his blue jeans there was a brown belt, with a square silver buckle holding his pants up. His shoes looked like his old ones, white with orange lines, but they were brand new. And to top it all off, his voice has gotten a bit deeper after he hit puperty last year. Perhaps the most biggest change that he has that everyone was surprised at was the scar around his left eye. Forensics show that it wasn't self inflicted, but someone gave it him. Luckily for him, the scar didn't go completely over his eyelid, for it only showed one line on the bottom, and one on the top, but not over the eyelid. Despite his new appearance, some would still consider him a comic geek, given that he's such a huge fan of Ace Savvy, the greatest detective and superhero who uses a deck of cards as his weapons. Inspired by recent events over the past two years, he took on the world of art, and pretty much crushed it. He didn't believe that he would have any unique talents, especially since his sisters have their own special talents. But after taking on drawing, he found his passion and realized his potential in being an artist... mostly a comic book artist. Everyone in class praised his work, including the particular character that wore a tiger suit with metal claws, which was what he was sketching now.

"Lincoln? Lincoln?"

"Hmmm?" The boy lifted his head, hearing Mrs. Johnson calling his name.

"Class is over." She said. The boy looked around, seeing that the two of them were the only ones in the class room. He must've gotten so wrapped up in his drawing that he must've not heard the bell.

"Oh, right!" Lincoln said as he gathered all his stuff and made his way to the door.

"Have a good summer, Lincoln!" Mrs. Johnson called.

"Thanks Mrs. Johnson." Lincoln said, waving goodbye to his teacher, as she did the same. As he closed the door behind him, he saw the other students cheering and speaking how much they were going spend Summer Vacation. Students intend to go crazy when school ends for the summer, where they can have fun and not worry about the educational system, for now at least. The boy made his way to his locker, placed all of his stuff into his orange backpack and made his way down the hall... You know what, let him do the talking instead. He looked right at the viewer.

"Oh Hey, haven't seen you guys in a long time." Lincoln said, staring directly at the viewer. "Two years I think, can you believe it? Well as you may have already noticed, it's the last day of school, and everyone getting ready for summer vacation."

"It's Summer, Bitches!" A voice shouted in the background, as he and some students began to slide down the halls. Luckily, the boy was able to dodge out of the way as the sliders burst through the doors, with a crowd of cheering students followed suit. Lincoln also walked out the door, surprised by the crazy chaos that was happening, with students talking to each other, some of the bullies pulling one last prank on their victims, and he also saw some couples making out. This is usually something you'd expect to see in High School, but hey, this year was the craziest year in history.

"Well, guess everyone is pretty hyped." Lincoln said to the viewer. "Ok, so for those who have been wondering what's been up with me lately, besides the scar on my left eye, it's a looong story. It all started when me and my family visited Texas two years ago. I entered an old thrift shop trying to find a souvenior for the trip when I found this." He then held his grip on the belt that he was wearing, the brown belt with a silver square buckle, with a black T engraved into the center. "The shop owner said this belt had a very special gift for those who wear it, and she was right. With just a spin of the belt buckle, it transforms the user into a legendary outlaw / hero known as _The Tiger_, or as the legend say, _El Tigre_. It grants the user with the agility and strength of a tiger, equiped with metal sharp nails, cool green eyes, and extended hearing. I've even added a few modifications of my own, like extended grapple chain claws, a much more durable suit, and of course, the batman-like attitude... ok the last one I made up." He soon made his way towards the bus. As it opened up, he hopped right on, seeing multiple students talking and sitting with each other.

"Things got a little rough shortly after I discovered it's power, such as family drama, mental trauma, me having to wear a stupid squirrel suit, and of course almost throwing someone off a building for... well, I won't get into that detail, but things got better after that, and I guess you can say that I've improved after the past couple years, including my sisters. My eldest sister Lori, she's already 19 and she recently graduated highschool. She's trying to get into the same college as Bobby, her boyfriend, but mom and dad forgot to send in the qualification papers so she has to wait. But it's ok, he's waiting for that too. Leni, well I guess you can say that she's still ditzy, but she's gotten even more creative recently, and she's already coming up with new designs for her Ideal clothing line, and she has a new... addition to the family. Luna's finally started her band, where she's the lead singer and guitarist. Of course, they're still working on getting a gig in town, and they just started their YouTube channel with a music video. And to clue you in, I heard she's in a relationship with her friend Sam. Luan has also been getting some gigs of her own in comedy, which is her speciallty. She still pulls pranks on our family, but they're much more laughable than painful. BTW, when it's April Fools, stay away from her, or it's Aprankalypse for you. Lynn Jr, named after my dad, is now the youngest captain of the Football Team in High School. In fact, she's captain of almost every sports team in High School. She and I have gotten closer over the past couple years. That's a long story saved for another time. Lucy, despite still having that gothic emo personality, is now in the Theatre group up town, and she's been in seven plays now. Most of them are from gothic literature, but even they need praise once and a while. The Twins are also getting into stuff. Lola's won 10 Regional Pageants in a row, and Lana's a junior assistant at the Auto Repair store. Still Lola's the mean one and Lana still the dirty one, but they're much nicer now a days. Lisa's still doing science, but also became the honorary member of the International Science group at NASA. She's also been doing some work which she described as _top secret_, and I think she's getting too literal about them. And Lily... well, she's still the same Lily, except now she wears clothes, she can say more words now, her hair's growing in, and the best part, she's potty trained, so no more changing the baby." Pretty soon, the bus came to a stop, where all the students departed the bus, with Lincoln being the last one off, which he didn't mind. After all, he was actually very close to his home, which was a nice big house with a front porch, backyard, a garage, and of course, the nice blue van known as Vanzilla. With him having a big family, they need all the space they can get, right? Anyway, he went up to the porch, ready to head inside, finishing talking with the viewer.

"And the best part of it all, is that I'm a super hero like Ace-Savvy, and to be honest, like I already said, it is the best thing that's ever happened to me. And I'm glad that I can share it with you guys. But whatever you guys do, Do NOT tell anyone, especially my sisters and my parents. They would totally lose it if they found out." With that said, he turned away from the viewer and opened the door, nice to be back home, and sure looking forward to the summer.

"Mom, Dad, I'm Home!" Lincoln called out as he headed for the kitchen.

"So, it's a Summer Camp?" A woman's voice is heard from the living room. Lincoln lifted his head up hearing that, recognizing the voice of his mom. He turned to the pathway to the living room. He leaned in to hear.

"Yes, it's a very productive out of town program where your son will be able to engage in all sorts of activities." Another voice said. All of a sudden, horror came to Lincoln's face, as if he's been dreading for something for a long time.

"Oh No..." Lincoln said, turning back to the viewer. "Mom and Dad has been trying to get me into Summer Camp to '_Broaden My Horizons_', but there is no way I'm going through that. When it comes to being a superhero, I have to patrol the streets at night, and with it being Summer, I stay out a little longer. But if I'm gone, who's gonna protect the town? Last summer there was a major crime spree going around, and it could happen again! Sure the crime rates have gone down here in Great Lakes City since I've became a superhero, but there's always danger around. I got rid of all the Summer Camp brochures. But now they have representatives coming by and recommending?"

"And it's out of town?" The voice of his mom asked. "How long is he gonna be gone?"

"Most likely the whole month." The other voice said.

"Wow, at least it gets him out of the house." His dad said. "We'll introduce him to you." Lincoln's eyes shrank. A summer program where he'll be away from home! For a whole Month?! His parents were going to collect him now. He had to be quick! He saw one of the vents. Despite him being thirteen, he was still small enough to travel through the vents. He quickly opened the vent cover and went inside. Crawling his way up through the shaft and up the vents, he made it out of the kitchen.

"Ok, looks like I'm gonna have to hide out in here until this blows over." Lincoln said.

"Lincoln."

The boy yelped as he heard the low voice. Looking forward, he saw a thin pale looking 10 year-old goth girl with black hair, covering her eyes and most of her face, except for her ears. She was a bit smaller than Lincoln. She wore a black dress over a white shirt with black striples, with her leggings the same thing, and black shoes.

"Lucy?" Lincoln asked. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm writing my poetry." Lucy said, showing her notebook open, and a pen in her hand.

"In the vents?" Lincoln asked.

"It's a very quiet place for me to write." Lucy said. Yep, this is Lucy, the only one with the gothic attire and gothic personality. Nobody knows why she was born like this. But she loves the dark side of things, and she loves poetry and gothic arts, especially the works of Edgar Allen Poe and Lovecraft. It was also rare for her to smile, but Lincoln also noticed something, and it wasn't a smile. The girl was wearing headphones around her neck.

"Why do you have headphones?" He asked.

"I've been listening to Nightwish lately." Lucy said. "The music is so inspirational."

"Let me guess, it's another gothic band?" Lincoln asked.

"Somewhat, but it's actually Symphonic Metal." Lucy said. "Luna took me to one of the band's concerts a week ago, and that Tuomas Holopanien is sooo magnificent."

"Huh..." Lincoln said. "Didn't know you listened to Symphonic Metal."

"Comes with the gothic territory." Lucy said. "Now please leave so I can write."

"Sorry Lucy, but some guy from a Summer Camp is here and I'm trying to avoid my parents until they leave." Lincoln said. "Is it alright if I stay here for a while. I won't bother you at all."

"Sigh." Lucy said instead of an actual sigh. "Ok, but I must warn you it's almost feeding time."

"Feeding Time?" Lincoln asked. "For what?"

"For Blood..." Lucy hissed, and opened her mouth with a smile, revealing actual fangs.

"Ahhh!" Lincoln yelped. "You know, I'll just let you be. I'll hide somewhere else." Taking a couple steps back, his foot slipped into a loose vent hole and he fell through, landing into the room below him on his face. Luckily it wasn't the dining room, living room, or the kitchen. It was actually on the second floor. The room had one window and two beds, one blue and one pink. There was a dresser with a pot of fake flowers, and there was a desk with a knitting machine. Lincoln lifted his head up.

"Ow..." He said.

"LINCOLN!" The voice got his attention. In front of him was a much older girl, about nineteen years of age, with blonde hair, with the back tied up in a pony tail. She wore a light blue tank top, brown cargo pants, blue slip-on shoes and blue eyeshadow. There were white pearl earrings on each ear, and her hips were a teeny bit wide, but not too much. She was holding a cellphone up to her ear. Lori Loud, the oldest of the Loud children. She is pretty much the third parent around the house whenever Lincoln's parents aren't home. On her phone everyday, either talking to friends or her boyfriend Bobby Santiago, nobody rarely sees her without it. She can be very bossy, and can assert her authority. But she does love her family, especially Lincoln. But anyone who would enter her room without permission would face her wrath. If anyone else could see her, she was angry. Very angry... Literally.

"Oh great it's the Goddess of War." Lincoln said.

"Bobby, I'll call you back." Lori said to her phone. "Someone came into my room... without permission... again." She pressed a button on her phone, hanging up, and the boy quickly got back up to his feet.

"Hey Lori, sorry for dropping in." Lincoln said.

"Lincoln, how many times do I have to tell you, _STAY OUT OF MY ROOM_!" Lori shouted.

"I wasn't trying to go into your room." Lincoln said. "I fell through the vents." The older girl looked up and saw the vent open.

"Oh... that's why it's been getting warm in here." Lori said. "I just thought dad forgot to turn on the AC. Why were you in the vents again?"

"I'm trying to hide from Mom." Lincoln said. "Some representative from a Summer Camp is here and I'm trying to avoid them the best I can." Lori looked at the boy confused.

"But why didn't you stay in the vents?" Lori asked. Then suddenly a loud hiss was heard from above the vent opening. "Lucy's in the vents?"

"Lucy's in the vents." Lincoln said.

"Well, you can't hide in my room." Lori said, holding her cell phone up. "You'll have to hide somewhere else. I'm talking to Bobby."

"Don't you every day?" Lincoln asked. "You'd be better off marrying your phone since you're on it twenty four seven."

"JUST GET OUT!" The boy was was then thrown out of the girl's room, with the door slamming shut behind him.

"Yep, still the same old Lori." Lincoln said.

"Lincoln?" The boy froze hearing his mom's voice.

"Uh oh, gotta run." Lincoln said as he got up and ran for it.

"HALT!" The boy stopped in his tracks. Standing right before him were two blonde hair girls. This time a bit shorter than him, and shorter than Lucy. Two twin girls stood before him. The one on the right, Lana, was wearing a red baseball cap backwards with a small square hole. Her hair had two downward pigtails tied down with red scrunchies. She wore a murky green t-shirt under dark blue overalls, and she had white sneakers with blue stripes. Lana is pretty much the dirty one of the family, and by dirty that means she likes to get messy, such as rolling in the mud, playing with her reptiles and frogs, eating from the trash... yeah, better left unsaid. But she's a very handy mechanic, knowing how to fix the faucets, the van, anything that has gears and screws with it.

Her twin, Lola, was actually a lot different than she was. The twin had longer hair with a downward ponytail, with a tuft of hair on the top of her head pointed to the right. She wore a princess attire; consisting of a long pink gown and sash, a white pearl necklace around her neck, long pink gloves, white earrings, pink high heels, and a tiara on her head. It's pretty much what she wears everyday, since she's been in hundreds of beauty pagents, and always came out on top. The opposite of Lana, Lola is more girl, and she's smart-mouthed, and really sassy... and bratty. Don't make her angry or she'll unleash a violent temper that is way beyond Lori's level of anger.

The only thing that both twins had were their missing front teeth, and they were wearing police shades.

"Where do you think you're going mister?" Lola asked.

"Uhhhh... what's going on here?" Lincoln asked.

"We're patrolling the hallway, that's what!" Lana said.

"Let me guess, you guys are practicing to be Hall Monitors again?" Lincoln asked. "You guys know that school's out, right?"

"Yes, we know that." Lola said.

"We're practicing so we'll be better at being hall monitors." Lana said. "And we get to lock people up too!"

"And I'm doing it because there's another regional pagent coming up where one of the challenges is acting tough." Lola said.

"Wait, aren't you always tough?" Lana asked.

"Yeah, but I want to be tougher." Lola said.

"Lincoln?!" The older woman's voice called from down the stairs.

"Oh great." Lincoln said. "Girls, I need to move. I don't want mom to find me."

"Sorry Bro." Lana said. "But we're not letting you pass until you say the magic word."

"What magic word?" Lincoln asked.

"You have to guess it." Lana said.

"And you aren't moving until you answer!" Lola said. The boy only looked at them for a second. Raising his finger up, he licked it slightly, and then he gently pushed Lola's hair tuft, causing the girl to scream in agony. When it came to being a beauty pagent star, she developed a strong fear of dirtyness, and one touch of anything will cause her to flip out.

"GAAAAAH! My Hair!" She shouted. "There's Icky Saliva In My Hair!"

"Saliva?!" Lana asked, who actually enjoys filth. "Let Me Taste It!"

"NOO!" Lola shouted as Lana jumped on her, causing the two to get in a scuffle, down the stairs.

"Girls, No Fighting in the House!" The mother called out. "I'm so sorry, this usually doesn't happen around here." Seeing the opportunity, he quickly made his way into the bathroom. Going inside, he locked the door.

"That was even too close." Lincoln said. "Guess I'll hide out in the bathroom until the representative leaves." He made a step forward, but then slipped on the floor, which was a bit wet because it was a little steamy.

"Ow..." Lincoln said as he slowly got up.

"Guess you were wearing _slippers_!"

"AH!" Lincoln made another yelp, as he turned around and saw another girl, this time in the shower. The girl had long light-brown hair, and she was wet, because she was in the shower. She had prominent buck teeth, which sported braces, including her upper and lower teeth. Since she was in the shower, she was also nude. Luckily she had a curtain blocking her naked body.

"Hey Lincoln!" She said with a smile.

"Oh My Gosh!" Lincoln shouted. "I'm so sorry Luan, I didn't know you were in here."

"Oh that's ok Lincoln." Luan said. "I should be sorry for scaring you too. Guess I'm scariest when I'm nude. I'm such a _grisley bare_!" She gave a funny laugh, and then pushed away the curtain, showing her entire body naked. Luckily her long hair was covering her breasts, which have grown... quite a bit. Lincoln yelped again as he saw her, and looked away.

"Luan, I'm right here!" Lincoln said.

"Oh sorry." Luan said. "Forgot you don't like seeing people nude. Guess some people can't... _bare it_?" As she laughed, Lincoln only sighed. Same Luan as usual. With her being the funny one, she's always one for cracking jokes and bad puns. It comes with being a rising comic. However, her fun and comical antics can get pretty overboard, especially on April Fools, where she would pull crazy pranks that would bring the apocalypse on her family. But she's goofy and fun-loving, as long it's not the first of April. The rising comedian grabbed a towel on the hanger and was drying her hair and her body. "Say, why'd you come in here? Couldn't wait to use the bathroom?"

"No." Lincoln said. "There's a representative from a Summer Camp and I'm trying to hide from Mom and Dad because they want me to attend one."

"Wow..." Luan said as she finished using the hair dryer, her hair bushing out to be curly, with two long protruding hairs sticking out from the center of her forehead. "Looks like you in for a ..._Bummer Summer_!" She gave a laugh, as Lincoln stood there.

"Was that suppose to be a joke?" Lincoln asked.

"Nah, I just said that because both of those words rhymed." Luan said as she pulled up her yellow checkerboard pattern skirt. She then placed on her white sleeveless shirt on, without putting on her bra. Normally she would put her yellow scrunchie through her hair, making a large ponytail, but last year she decided to let her hair flow.

"Uhhh, you forgot to put on your bra." Lincoln said.

"Nah, I don't wear bras." Luan said.

"What?" Lincoln asked. "Why?!"

"Because I don't want to take it off later and leave a ..._boobie trap_!" Luan said, followed by another laugh. "But seriously though, I don't have to wear them."

"Ok, I'm just gonna hide in Lisa's room." Lincoln said as he unlocked the door and opened it. But he froze in place, seeing his mom. But she wasn't looking at him. She was at the other side of the room, looking into his room.

"Lincoln?!" She asked. "Honey, didn't you hear Lincoln coming in and going upstairs?"

"I heard him coming in!" The father called out. Seeing his mom still looking into his room, the boy quickly made his way to Lisa's room and slipped inside, closing the door quietly.

"Man, why can't I get some peace and quiet." Lincoln said as he leaned against the door. He froze however, seeing the inside of Lisa and Lily's room. There were two beds in the room. One dark green, and the other one was smaller and had a purple blanket on it. But he saw lots of pictures hanging up on Lisa's side of the room. All of them were notes, sketches, and pictures of various events and people. He looked straight forward and saw a six year-old girl working at her science desk. She was in her usual green turtleneck sweater, white lab coat, dark pink pants and brown shoes, all in which droop down to illustrate her stoic demeanor. She also had short shaggy hair, and wore black-framed glasses with two circular lenses.

"You should always knock on the door before you enter the premises of my room, brother unit." The girl said. Lisa Loud, Lincoln's six year-old sister, is the child prodigy within the entire family. Her IQ is pretty much way beyond the modest minds in the world. She'd always be working on complex experiments, equations, and formulas, despite being in Kindergarten. She's not one to partake in mundane human emotions, unless it involves romance.

"How'd you know I was outside the room?" Lincoln asked a bit surprised.

"Security cameras." Lisa said. "They're the world's most smallest cameras." She lifted a finger up, facing it toward Lincoln. But the boy didn't see anything.

"I don't see it." He said.

"But it sees you." Lisa said, holding a video up of Lincoln, staring at Lisa's finger. The boy was taken back by this a bit.

"Wicked." He said.

"I'm sure there's a reason why you entered my room, my loving middle brother?" Lisa asked.

"What's going on in here?" Lincoln asked.

"If you wander about the photos, I'm doing some work on the Conspiracy theories." Lisa said. When the girl turned five and a half, Lisa wondered into the world of global conspiracies. Not the ones where there were some fake stuff, but the ones that involved terrorists and secret underground groups planning to take over the world, and coverups. "I'm trying to figure out the disappearance of a famous professor who disappeared with his daughter years ago."

"Who?" Lincoln asked.

"This guy." Lisa said, showing a picture of a man in grey hair, a beard, and wearing black sunglasses.

"Who is that?" Lincoln asked.

"Professor Waldo Schaeffer, aka Franz Hopper." Lisa said. "He was one of the most brilliant scientists, and ...my biggest idol. Normally I wouldn't do any girl antics but... Eeeeeeeee!" The six year-old gave a squeel of excitement holding the picture. Following the Kadic Academy incident, she dug up some stuff about Franz Hopper and his life, and has been trying to find out what he was involved in. She pretty much praises the man.

"Who the heck is Franz Hopper?" Lincoln asked, only to receive a slap from his sister. "Ow!"

"Clearly if you were as smart as I am, you would know." Lisa said. "He used to be was part of an international top-secret project consisting of many scientists who worked in the fields of computing and quantum mechanics. The purpose was to create a way to control communications and devices electronically, and develope a system that can transport people digitally and disrupt enemy communications. But it turns out it's main purpose was to transport matter from one quantum realm to another. Something that you wouldn't understand." Lincoln looked at the pictures on the wall.

"Well did you find anything about him?" Lincoln asked.

"Only that he built a supercomputer underneath a factory, doing some illegal construction, was a teacher at Kadic Academy, and he had a daughter." Lisa said. "I'm getting close though. Now if you would please, leave the room?"

"But mom's looking for me." Lincoln said. "And I don't want her to find me."

"Is it because a representative from an out of town camp involving summer activities is here?" Lisa asked, surprising the boy.

"How'd you know?" Lincoln asked.

"Overheard them when I came home." Lisa said. "If you want, I can transport you outside if you want."

"Really?" Lincoln asked. "How?" The prodigy turned around and held up a strange white device that looked like a gun.

"Whoa... what is that?" Lincoln asked.

"The Aperture Science Handheld Portable Quantum Tunneling Device." Lisa said.

"Huh?" Lincoln asked.

"Portal Gun." Lisa said.

"Portal Gun?" Lincoln asked.

"Observe." Lisa said as she pointed the gun to the ground and fired, revealing a blue portal to form in the floor. She then went to the window and fired another portal in the backyard. "Your exit awaits."

"Wow!" Lincoln said. "Thanks!" With that said, he jumped in and disappeared. Then a beeping came from Lisa's desktop.

"Oh, looks like the footage came in." Lisa said as she clicked her keyboard to view the footage. Her eyes widened with surprise. "Hmmmm... interesting."

Back outside, Lincoln dropped from the portal and landed on the ground. The portal then disappeared.

"Impressive..." Lincoln said, but then something hit him hard in the back of his head.

"Ow!" He shouted, but covered his mouth, hoping his parents didn't hear him. He then turned to see what hit him. It was just a soccer ball.

"Oh Hey Linc!" Turning his head he saw his other older sister. The fifteen had thick brown hair pulled back into a short high ponytail, wearing a red unzipped hoodie and a white jersey with a red 1 on it. Her track shorts were red and white, and she had black cleats with striped white knee-high socks. It was Lynn Jr. Loud, Lincoln's fifth oldest sister right before him, named after their father Lynn Sr. and the Sporty one in the family. Athletic and competitive, she loves playing sports of all kind, like football, soccer, hockey, even martial arts, which comes in handy when roughhousing with her siblings. Despite being fifteen, she was only a teeny bit taller than Lincoln.

"Oh hey Lynn." Lincoln said.

"Hey, that was so cool how you jumped through that portal!" Lynn said as she picked up her soccer ball. "Lisa testing out teleporting devices on you?"

"Nah, I just needed to get out the house." Lincoln said. "Why? Has Lisa tested some stuff on you lately?"

"No way, not after what happened last week." Lynn said. "She asked me to test out some ball suit. Then she injected me with some surem and actually turned me into a ball."

"Oh, that explains why you looked... ummm... round." Lincoln said.

"But if I'm honest, it was actually really fun rolling around like that." Lynn said. "Managed to squish Lori in one roll." The two shared a laugh, but as the girl looked back at the boy, she saw the scar on his left eye, and a sad guilty face formed on her face.

"You ok?" Lincoln asked.

"Yeah... it's just." Lynn began. "I cringe everytime I see your eye." The boy then realized what she meant.

"In case you guys are wondering, you probably have an idea how I got this." Lincoln said to the viewer, pointing at his scar. The sport jock turned away.

"Everytime I notice that scar... I get... flashbacks." Lynn said.

"You mean?" Lincoln asked.

"No... not... that..." Lynn said. "Just the flashbacks about... our fight." Believe it or not, two years ago, when Lincoln was forced to attend Lynn's baseball game, he was labeled bad luck when she lost, which he let it slide until his family kicked him out of the house because they all believed him to be bad luck, even when he told the truth. He managed to convince them wrong by attending Lynn's game wearing the school's team mascot suit, but it only made things worse for him. They treated him like good luck and made him wear the suit everywhere they went. It led to him getting sweaty, attacked by animals and dogs, and almost killed, leading him to tell off everyone in his family, leading to a bad fight with Lynn, where she actually picked up a sharp object and got Lincoln in the face, over his left eye, which he was lucky she didn't cut out. At that moment, Lincoln told her that he hated her guts, and said some words that he regretted later on, running out the door in the middle of the night in the dangerous streets, with her following suit, where a horrible event left a huge impact on both of them. Lynn was brutally attacked by a group of teenage boys, ones who robbed a gas station eariler where Lincoln was walking by, and didn't bother to stop them because he was still steamed from his fight with Lynn. Normally Lynn would do well in a fight, but these guys were in high school, somewhere in their junior or senior years, so she wasn't fully prepared. And when they were done beating her to a pulp, they shot her. And the worse part, Lincoln was the one who found her in a critical state. She was placed in a coma, where doctors didn't think she would recover. Learning of the sickos who did this, he would then use his newfound powers to hunt them down, with vengeance in his mind. However, he couldn't bring himself to kill them, and allowed them to be captured by police. Guilt-ridden, he stayed by Lynn's side, where she miraculously woke up. Since then, the two became much more closer than ever. Lynn has made a remarkable recovery and was able to play sports again. But still, the mark that was left on both of them was still visible, and that was the boy's scar.

"It's alright Lynn." Lincoln said. "I already forgave you for what happened."

"I know you did." Lynn said. "But yet, with everything that happened, I can't help but wonder, what could've happened. What if I aimed too low and slit your neck, or actually cut your eye out or-"

"Lynn, just be glad that it didn't." Lincoln said. "Sure there were other possibilities of what could've happened, but it didn't. And besides, if I'm honest, this whole ordeal we went through brought us closer together."

"Yeah, and you gotten pretty tougher too." Lynn said. "Though you still get your girly-ness from dad." Both siblings shared another laugh, this time with no worries.

"Say, since you're here, you wanna play some soccer, one on one?" Lynn asked. "Or do you wanna do some more sparring?" As the time freezed, Lincoln turned to the viewer.

"If you're wonder how I managed to get good at this hero stuff, I asked Lynn to teach me how to fight properly after that incident. Normally I wouldn't be a fighter, but I'd like to stay in shape when I go out and watch over the streets." He turned back to his sister.

"I would love to Lynn, but I actually-" Lincoln said.

"Honey, I can't seem to find Lincoln!" The children's mother called out.

"Hold on, I'll check outside!" The father called out.

"Uh oh." Lincoln said.

"Summer Camp?" Lynn asked.

"Yeah, Summer Camp." Lincoln said.

"Don't worry, I got your back." Lynn said with a wink. Holding the ball up her, she kicked it near the side of the house, causing the empty trash cans to fall down. There was a loud yelp from inside the kitchen.

"Honey, The Raccoons Are Back!" The father called out. "I'm Not Going Out There!" There was some commotion going on in the house, most likely their dad ran back into the living room.

"You better head through the garage." Lynn said.

"Thanks Lynn." Lincoln said as he headed to the garage door and went inside. Closing the door behind him he gave another sigh.

"Ok, now to-" Lincoln said. But then a loud sound rang into his ears, causing him to yelp once again. From the sound of it, it was loud rock music. If it was loud rock music, it had to be from Luna, the third oldest child in the Loud Family. Lifting himself up, the boy turned to see a seventeen year-old girl with brown short hair, styled into a pixie cut. She had freckles on her cheeks, and wears light purple eyeshadow. Her earrings were actually in the shape of paperclips. Her attire consisted of a black metal jacket, a dark purple T-shirt with a torn crew neck, triangular sleeves, with the shirt having a picture of a white skull. She also wore a plaid lavender skirt, a white belt, spiked wristbands, and high purple boots. She was playing her usual purple electric guitar, and was jamming with the loud speakers. That was definitely Luna, the third oldest of the children, and a rockstar at that. She had interest in classival music until her passion for rock music developed when she went to one of Mick Swagger's concerts eight years ago. Despite her crazy wild style life, she's is one of the most caring and helpful siblings.

Next to her was her girlfriend Sam Sharp, the one with blonde hair, with a teal streak and two piercings in each ear. The girl wore a white shirt, with the rundel of the RAF on it, a light blue leather jacket, with a skull patch on the back, burgundy-colored ripped jeans held up by a black studded belt, and dark purple boots like Luna. She was also jamming on her own guitar, and next to them were two other guys. One holding a microphone, and the other jamming on the Bass Guitar. Behind them was a dude with a mohawk, playing on the drums. The loud music was getting to Lincoln. He looked forward and tried to get Luna's attention.

"LUNA!" He called out. "LUNA!"

"Oh Hey Little Bro!" Luna called out. "You wanna rock with us?!"

"LUNA, Can You Turn That Down?!" Lincoln asked.

"I Know, It's Cool! Right?" Luna answered back.

"No, I said Turn It Down!" Lincoln called out.

"What?!" Luna asked.

"TURN IT DOWN!" Lincoln called out.

"WHAT?!" Luna asked. With a defeated sigh, Lincoln went to the cords connecting to the speakers and unplugged them, causing the music to abruptly stop.

"Oh, you said turn it down." Luna said. "Sorry little bro, couldn't hear ya."

"I wonder why." Lincoln said, and looked at the band. "What are you guys doing?"

"We're rehearsing!" Luna said. "We got a gig at the St. Andrew's Hall this Saturday! We're gonna rock like it's 1985 and 1975 combined!"

"I see." Lincoln said, slapping the side of his ear to get the noise out, then turned his attention to Sam. "You must be Sam."

"Yeah, you must Lincoln." Sam said as she approached the boy. "Luna told me all about you. She says you're the coolest brother around. I can see why. Digging the scar too." She gave the boy a rub on his head, slightly messing up his hair in the process. But with his hair growing all bushy, he didn't mind it much.

"Thanks." Lincoln said. "So wait, when did you guys get a gig?"

"It was after we posted our music video online!" Luna said. "We've been getting a lot of requests to do a gig, and we're sooo gonna give it our all! And besides, couldn't be where we are without her." She gave a nuzzle on Sam's shoulder.

"Me?" Sam asked. "You're the best rocker here out of all of us."

"Oh stop you..." Luna said in a flirty tone. The two gave a laugh and began flirting with each other. The boy rolled his eyes, and it wasn't because Luna is actually bisexual. He cleary had a lot of respect with same sex couples, knowing that people should be happy with the ones they love, even if they are the same gender.

"Anyway, I'll just leave you guys to it and be out of the way." Lincoln said as he went through the door back into house.

"Ok, Love Ya Little Bro!" Luna said. "Okay Y'all, ONE TWO THREE FOUR!" The band then went back to jamming. Luckily, with the garage closed and the entire garage was soundproof, the noise was completely muffled out. The boy went back inside and found out he was back into the kitchen.

"Dang it, back where I started!" Lincoln said.

"Lincoln?" His mom's voice called again. "Where are you?!" He quickly ran to the other side of the kitchen to the dining room just as his mom came in.

"Lincoln?" His mom asked. "Dang it, I could've sworn I heard him." Lincoln quickly hid underneath the table, managing to slip past the chairs and legs. He hid there until his mom looked in the dining room. Luckly the table had covers so nobody could see under it.

"He's not in here either." Rita said. "I'd tell you that boy is always running. Lincoln?" As he saw his mom's shadow leave the hallway. Lincoln moved from under the table, and saw the basement. The Basement! Of course! That would be a great place to hide. Nobody usually goes into the basement. He emerged from under the table and crawled his way toward it.

"Looks like I'll have to hide in the basement till this blows over." Lincoln said. As he took another step, he noticed someone was standing in front of him. It was not a tall person, for it was a little one. A little 3 1/2 year-old with lighted yellow hair, with a tuff sticking out in the back being held by a ribbon. She wore a purple dress with black skinny pants with white socks and shoes. She also had a tooth overbite. The cute toddler only said one word.

"Linky!" She said. Lincoln jumped in surprised, but sighed to only see that it was Lily.

"Oh Lily, it's just you." Lincoln said.

"Found You Linky!" Lily said with a happy smile, but the boy quickly put his finger on the girl's mouth.

"Shhhhh, be quiet Lily." Lincoln said. "I don't wanna be found."

"Why?" Lily asked in cute curiosity.

"Because Mom and Dad are gonna send me to a Summer Camp where I'll be away for a while and won't be home." Lincoln said. The little girl looked at him with a smile. "You have no idea what I'm talking about do you."

"Nope!" Lily said, with Lincoln giving a sigh.

"Still Lily, don't tell anyone that I'm hiding ok?" Lincoln asked the little one.

"Tell anyone what?" The voice made the boy jump to his feet. He turned his head to see his mom standing there. The older woman wore a pink button up shirt with a white collar and cuffs, with long purple pants. Her hair was blonde and big, but not big enough to hide her white earrings. Despite her blue eye shadow and red lipstick, she had bags under her eyes, but they're not that visible to the naked eye.

"Oh hey Mom." Lincoln said nervously. "Were you looking for me?"

"Yes I was." Rita said. "And it looks like Lily found you first."

"I Found Lincoln!" Lily said as she cheerfully skipped into the next room.

"Yeah, she did." Lincoln said annoyed. "Well, I wish I could stay and talk mom, but I gotta go-"

"Not so fast Lincoln." Rita said, making the boy halt in his place. "There's someone here to meet you."

"Would it be a representative from a Summer Camp?" Lincoln asked. His mom rolled her eyes.

"Lincoln, we had a talk about this." Rita said.

"But mom, I don't want to go to a Summer Camp." Lincoln said. "They make you do activities outside, and I don't wanna do stuff outside..."

"Well you can't just sit here playing video games all day until morning." Rita said.

"I don't play video games until morning!" Lincoln said. His mom raised an eyebrow. "Ok, but that wasn't my fault. Lisa injected me with a twenty-four hour serum, and she didn't tell me how long it would last. And besides, me and Clyde were gonna chat online this weekend, and I was planning to spend more time with Ronnie Anne."

"You'll have plenty of time to do all those things." Rita said. "But you need to do other things too."

"I do do other things!" Lincoln said.

"Doo Doo!" Lily spoke from the background.

"Like what?" Rita asked.

"I'm attending the Cartoon / Anime art class this July." Lincoln said.

"That's not until September." Rita said.

"Oh." Lincoln said. "Could've sworn that it was in July. Still, there are other things I can do here in the Summer. Plus, I have patrol."

"Patrol?" Rita asked. "Patrolling what?" Lincoln froze. Patrol was the term he would use when he would be watching the streets at night when he's protecting the city.

"Uhhhh... uhhh... Patrol... the Park!" Lincoln said quickly. "Yeah, I need to patrol the park for... Ants!"

"Ants?" Rita asked. "I don't remember there being an Ant investation."

"Well, gotta patrol the park so there isn't!" Lincoln said. It was a stupid excuse in order to keep his heroing a secret, but fortunately for him, she believed it.

"Lincoln, I know you don't want to do this, but this is good for you." Rita said. "Summer Camps are suppose to help you stay active, be social, and make new friends. Think of this as an adventure."

"But what if the Summer Camp isn't what they say it is?" Lincoln asked. "What if it's actually a Prison that brainwashes children to lose their creativity and become dull-like sister slaves, like that horrible Camp Smile Away?"

"Lincoln, I doubt that it'll be like that." Rita said. "And besides, Camp Smile Away was closed down two years ago because of that." Lincoln only rubbed his forehead.

"You're not gonna stop weighing this on me, are you." Lincoln said.

"Can you at least give it a chance?" Rita asked. "Plus, as much as I hate to admit it, you'll be able to get away from the craziness here for a while." The boy did think for a second. His mom was right. Going to a Summer Camp can get him away from the craziness of this sisters. No doubt, he truly loves his sisters, but there are times when they can be overbearing. Plus, this should be able to get him from attending some of his sisters' big events. And believe it, these events are pretty much daily, and they do go crazy. Back then they would force him to go to them, but after the whole incident two years ago, they finally gave him some space. But being home with them the whole summer can get pretty chaotic. He gave a sigh.

"Alright, I'll give it a shot." Lincoln said.

"Thanks sweetie." Rita said. "Now c'mon, he wants to meet you." With that said, the boy followed his mom into the living room, where his father Lynn Sr was still talking with the representative. The boy's father wore a sea green sweater over a light-green checkered collar and cuffs, and brown slacks. Despite his long pointy nose, brown eyebrows and curly brown hair that was thinning on the top, he was a nice looking fellow.

"You know I really gotta know, what country are you from?" Lynn Sr asked. "China or something?"

"Actually I'm Japanese." The representative said.

"Ooooo Japanese!" Lynn Sr. said. "I've watched a few Japanese shows, though they're actually cooking shows."

"Honey, I found Lincoln." Rita said, getting the father's attention.

"Ahhh, there's our son, our pride and joy." Lynn Sr. said.

"Hey dad." Lincoln said. "I was told somebody wanted to..." The boy stopped in his tracks, seeing the representative. But it wasn't actually a representative. It was actually Jamiko Miyamoto! Except he was wearing a nice shirt and suit, and his hair was combed.

"Hello." CJ said. "You must be Lincoln Loud, yes?"

"Y-yes, yes I am." Lincoln said.. "Uhhhh... who are you?"

"Jamiko." CJ said. "Jamiko Miyamoto from SPD."

"SPD?" Lincoln asked.

"Special Pro Devision Camp." Jamiko said. "We specialize in helping kids with exceeding expectations, to socialize with each other and participate in fun activites around the states."

"Wait... exceeding expectations?" Lincoln asked.

"Exceeding expectations?" Lynn Sr. and Rita asked.

"That's right." CJ said. "We've read the comic book that you've submitted to the Comic Book Contest, and you have a lot of talent for a young boy such as yourself." Lincoln knew what he was talking about. A while back, Lincoln and his friend Clyde entered the Ace Savvy Meet the Artist contest, where they got to meet Bill Buck in person, who praised Lincoln for his wonderful art. The comic was posted online for everyone to see. Lincoln didn't actually think a summer camp would find his talent that extrodinary.

"Wow, thanks." Lincoln said showing a tint of red. "I didn't expect you guys to actually read it." CJ gave a chuckle.

"Well we came to you to say that you've qualified to be part of the program, and we would love to have you part-take with us this summer." CJ said. "If you're interested, we'd be honored to have you." Lincoln looked at the guy, and then started to think. He never heard of a Summer Program like that, or any program like that. Neverless, it actually sounded interesting, and it felt really flattering that they believed he had exceeding expectations. They probably saw one of his drawings from the art contest a while back.

"Wow... I'm honored too." Lincoln said. "I'd be glad."

"Good." CJ said as he took the boy's hand and shook it. "I'll see you tomorrow so we can chat some more." With that said and done, CJ headed for the door. "Have a nice day everyone."

"You too!" Lynn Sr. said. "Oh, Anata no sonzai no tame ni hijō ni arigatō!"

"Dōitashimashite." CJ responded with a bow, and like that, he left the house, closing the door behind him.

"Wow, our son has exceeding expectations!" Rita said.

"I know, isn't it amazing!?" Lynn Sr. asked. "I told you art is a fantastic career for him."

"Say, when did you learn Japanese?" Rita asked.

"You learn a lot when you watch those Japanese cooking shows." Lynn Sr. said. Lincoln on the other hand was still confused by this.

"What just happened?" He asked.

"Mom, Dad!" The three turned to see another older sister of Lincoln's. Her hair was a paler shade of blonde, with side-swept bangs. She's almost as tall as Lori, making her the second oldest child. She wore a seafoam green dress with white frills and triangular sleeves. There were also red hoop earrings. She had white sandals topped with light green bows, and a pair of rounded white sunglasses with black lenses on top of her head.

"Right here, Leni!" Rita said, getting the girl's attention. "Is everything ok?"

"Do we have any more cookies?" Leni asked. "And peanut butter? And pickles? And Ice Cream? Oh, how about Peanut Butter Pickle Cookie flavored Ice Cream!"

"Sorry Leni, we don't have all that anymore." Rita said. "You pretty much ate it all."

"I did?" Leni asked, and began to think, lost in thought. While the second oldest of the Loud children, Leni is, um... let's just say she's very absent minded, forgetful and ditzy. Some would call her... well... let's just say Not Very Smart. But despite that, she is very creative, especially in the clothes designing business. "Huh, all I remember was watching the TV this morning. But yet I have this delicious taste in my mouth. GASP, did the food fly into my mouth while I was looking at the TV?"

"Um, sweetie, I'm pretty sure food doesn't fly." Rita said.

"Well if you're still hungry, we do have Avocados!" Lynn Sr. said.

"NO!" Leni shouted. "Avocados turn people into Avocados! And I do not want my baby to become an Avocado!" The parents only face-palmed their faces, and Lincoln rolled his eyes.

"For those who are wondering." Lincoln said, turning to the viewer. "Leni is... _In the Nest_. And by that I mean, in eight more months, she's gonna have a baby. No, Leni didn't get busy with anybody. She volunteered to be a surrogate mother for a married couple who want kids, but are unable to do so. Unfortunately, the couple died in a car accident just outside the town two weeks ago. Leni however didn't want to get rid of the baby so she decided to keep it when it's born, especially since they used one of her eggs to make it a successful operation, which is another confusing story by itself."

"Hey Linky, do you have anymore of that stuff that comes from trees?" Leni asked.

"You mean Paper?"

"Yes, the Paper!" Leni said. "I've been in a very creative mood lately and I came up with the cutest design for my baby's onesies! Speaking of which, I already made one! Check it out!" She held up a piece of fabric, which was in the shape of a onsie. It was blue and there was a butt flap too.

"Wow, pretty cool." Lincoln said.

"Thanks, my little cutie's gonna look so cute in this!" Leni said as she gave a squeal. Lincoln however, examined the outfit once more carefully.

"Wait, isn't that fabric from Lori's old bed sheet?" Lincoln asked.

"LENI!" an angry voice shouted from upstairs, revealing to be Lori, marching down the stairs. She was pretty angry, and there was a good reason why. She was holding up her bed sheet, which had a shape cutted out.

"Oh, Hi Lori!" Leni said.

"Leni, did you cut out part of my bed sheet?!" Lori asked.

"Oh, that was your bed sheet?" Leni asked. "I thought it was just an thick piece of fabric."

"It's Not A Piece of Fabric!" Lori shouted. "This is a very special bed sheet! And you completely RUINED IT!"

"Oh, I'm so sorry." Leni said. "I kinda figured it looked familiar somehow. But it's ok, I can fix it for you."

"NO!" Lori shouted. "You already ruined it enough!"

"I don't actually see the big deal here." Lincoln said. "What's so special about some old bed sheet?"

"Hey!" Lori shouted at her brother. "This isn't just some old bed sheet. Bobby and I had a special moment on these bed sheets last year..." Hearing that made the parents quickly widen their eyes in shock.

"Special moment?" Lincoln asked, but then the dirty thought came to his mind. "Ewwww, Lori, you guys did it in your bed?!"

"What?" Lori asked. "No, of course not! We slept together on these bed sheets, and don't worry, we had clothes on."

"Ohhh..." Lincoln said with a bit of relief, as Rita and Lynn Sr. also sighed with relief.

"Oh, thank goodness." Rita said. "For a second we thought that you and Bobby were... I don't want to say it."

"Mom, I know what sex is." Lincoln said. "You don't have worry about it saying it around me."

"Wha... Eww!" Lori said. "Mom, I would never do that! Me and Bobby agreed to do it on our honeymoon when we get married after college, or during college, we both haven't truly decided on that part yet. Besides, I'm not that stupid like Miss I have a Bun in my Oven over here."

"Hey, I'm not stupid!" Leni said, getting very defensive. "Wait, what does stupid mean again?" Lincoln then noticed a strange stain on the bedsheets.

"Well, why is there a stain on the sheets?" Lincoln asked.

"Oh yeah, Charles was humping this a few weeks ago, and he left a stain on it." Lori said. Everyone looked at Charles, who was actually their white pitbull terrier dog with a small nose and black spot over his left eye, with freckles and a black concentric circle on his back, and sleeping in his bed, next to Cliff, their full-grown domestic short-haired cat with black fur, whiskers, large black nose and small ears.

"You mean he..." Lincoln asked.

"Yes, he was masterbating." Lori said.

"Ewww, and you didn't wash the sheets?" Lincoln asked.

"No way." She said. "I didn't want to get rid of Bobby's scent from the sheets." She then took a quick sniff and sighed, while everyone else only feeling disturbed.

"Oh, so that's why Charles was growling at me when he was in those bed sheets." Leni said. "I just thought that he were taking a big poop."

"Poo Poo!" Lily said as she made a giggle.

"Leni, you do that in the bathroom." Lori said.

"I know that." Leni said.

"Who said anything about a big poop?" Lana's voice was heard from behind the parents. All heads turned to Lana and Lola, who were overhearing their conversation.

"And what is this... Master Baiting?" Lola asked.

"Oh, I know this one!" Leni said. "Masterbating is when you touch your-" Her mouth was then covered by her father, muffling her voice.

"Leni, they're kids, they do not need to know this stuff!" Lynn Sr. said.

"Cool, I wanna Master Bait!" Lana shouted, showing interests.

"No, it sounds revolting!" Lola shouted.

"Will you all keep it down?!" Lucy asked as she mysterious appeared, startling the twins. "I'm trying to work on my poetry."

"Do you always have to pop out of nowhere like that?!" Lola asked.

"Do you always have to be such a revolting dog?" Lucy asked, making the pagent winner gasp.

"How Dare You Call Me That!" Lola shouted, revealing her angry side. "I'm not even a dog!"

"Actually, I meant the other word for dog, that starts with a B." Lucy said, making Lola gasp even more.

"Why, you little!" Lola said as she began twitching.

"Please keep the volume to a precise minimum!" Lisa shouted from the upstairs. "I'm doing some important work up here!"

"MOM!" Lynn Jr. shouted as she ran from the living room. "Luan won't stop it with her puns!"

"But I thought they were Pun-tastic!" Luan said. All of a sudden, all the girls began to shout and argue, as Rita and Lynn Sr. quickly panicked.

"Oh No... Sister Fight Protocal!" Both of them said.

"Ok, we're gonna let you girls settle this, bye!" Rita said as she quickly grabbed the giggling Lily, and they, along with the children's father, ran to the garage door, opening it up, only for Luna to step in.

"Someone say Sister Fight Protocal?" Luna asked. "This calls for fight music!" She then started to play riffs on her guitar, and the sound of the band playing through the speakers from the garage began blowing Rita and Lynn Sr. away.

"RUN FOR IT!" Lynn Sr. shouted, and they made their way up the stairs into their room and locked the door. Lincoln however stood there, watching his sisters quarrel, while Luna and her band came into the house making loud music.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, you are witnessing the Sister Fight Protocal." Lincoln said to the viewer. "It's where the sisters get into an argument and it gets pretty physical. One time I tried getting involved and help them settle, but when I did, I almost ended up with a shattered arm. So, it's best to let them handle it themselves." The boy then felt something in his hand, the one that the boy shook. Looking into the palm, he found a small note. Lifting his head up, he saw his sisters arguing and shouting at each other, completely ignorant of their surroundings and those around them. He saw this opportunity to step out of the house. Opening the note, he read it silently.

_Meet me at the abandoned Body Plant, 6051 Hastings St. - CJ Miyamoto_

The boy's eyes widened with a bit of surprise, but also suspicion. That boy's name... Jamiko was it? He wants to meet him alone today at the abandoned plant?

* * *

_**Fisher Body Plant 210**_

Probably the reigning king of Great Lakes City's abandoned factories, built to design Fisher vehicles and General Moters when it was built in 1919, until it was deserted in 1974. Nowadays it's used as a canvas for graffiti and installation artists who have created unique happenings inside.

Still it was abandoned, and Lincoln Loud was very suspicious as he approached the building. Looking back at the note with the address, this was definitely the place. As he approached the building, questions began to seep into his mind. Who was this CJ Miyamoto, and why did he want him to come here to talk? Tightening his belt a bit, the boy approached the doors.

"If you see anything, warn me right away." Lincoln said to the viewer. Opening the doors, he walked inside. There was no sound, except for the echos of his footsteps as he continued to walk. While it wasn't a haunted place, it can get pretty creepy at dark. While Lincoln was a fan of ghost hunting and scary shows, especially his favorite show _ARGGH!_, there were some things that could get him scared, especially Lucy's sudden appearances, and the movie _The Harvester_, and this place was pretty spooky. Luckily, the sun was setting on the horizon, and there was light from it seeping through the windows. Taking a couple more steps forward, he heard something. A loud clang made his turn around. He placed his hand on the belt buckle, ready to spin it if something would come at him.

"HELLOOO!" Lincoln called. "Is anyone in here?! I'm warning you, I have a belt and I'm not afraid to use it! Spinning it, not hitting with it actually."

"Lincoln Loud." The voice got the boy's attention. He turned his head to see a fellow in the shadows. Emerging, he revealed himself to be CJ, who had his hair no longer straight and wearing his usual attire and red scarf.

"Um... hi..." Lincoln said, feeling uneasy. "You're the guy who wanted me in the Summer Camp, right?"

"Yes." CJ said.

"Well, I don't ever remember signing up for a Special Pro Devision or whatever it is." Lincoln said.

"That's because there isn't a Special Pro Devision." CJ said. The boy looked at him.

"And there isn't really a Summer Camp, is there." Lincoln said.

"That's correct." CJ said.

"Then, why did you show up at my house?" Lincoln asked. "And what do you want from me?"

"I know who you are, Lincoln." CJ said. "And I know _WHO_ you are." The boy then felt even more uneasy.

"What?" Lincoln asked.

"I know all about you... El Tigre." CJ said, pointing at the boy's belt. Lincoln froze in place, with a bit of sweat rolling down his forehead.

"I... I don't know what you're talking about." He said, keeping his cool.

"Oh yeah?" CJ asked. With his watch he then displayed a screen in the middle of the floor, showing footage from a security camera outside the Great Lakes Bank, where bank robbers were running out with bags of money. All of a sudden, they were then jumped by a blurry figure, who quickly disbatched them to the ground, leaving them unconcious. CJ froze the image, and enhanced the screen, showing the figure in a tiger-like suit, with a mask on. The mask was like a tiger, with tiger ears, white tuffs on each side, and a yellow T on the forehead. What was very interesting was that the figure's overbite had a chipped tooth, and a silver belt with a T on it, similar to Lincoln's. The boy was shocked seeing this, because that was him!

"This is you." CJ said, displaying the photo. "That's you on March 14th, where you stopped a group of thieves from robbing a bank." The boy froze upon seeing that. He remembered that day, the day when he went with his mom to go to the bank and the robbery happened. He was able to stop the robbers with his new powers and save everyone. How did this guy get that? Sure security footages record stuff all the time, but how'd he figure it out from just the belt and the chipped tooth.

"No it isn't." Lincoln said quickly.

"Really?" CJ asked. He then showed another video, which displayed a young slender girl with tan skin, freckles, black hair that curls up at the back end with two strands standing out, with slanted eyes, falling off the bridge, but then the masked tiger flings in and saves her. The photo is enhanced again, showing the Tiger hero with the chipped tooth and belt. Lincoln remembers this. He even remembers who the girl was. The new girl Stella Tjukia. She was having a very bad day from the pressure her parents were putting on her, and she wanted to end it all. But Lincoln saved her that day, which inspired her to take control of her life.

"That's you on November 29th last year, where you saved Stella Tjukia." CJ said.

"No it's not." Lincoln said, sweat starting to form on his face. "I wasn't even there that day." The teenager then showed another video, which showed the Tiger hero facing off against someone in a weaponized hawk suit, on top of the Great Lake Marriot building! This was shortly after Lynn's recovery, where Lincoln faced off against the Shadow Hawk, his arch-nemesis, who stole secretive weapons from a lab in the city and took Ronnie Anne hostage when she discovered him. It was a tough fight, but Lincoln pulled through, stopped the Shadow Hawk, and saved Ronnie Anne. He was lucky she didn't learn his identity. But how did this guy get that too?

"That's you two years ago at the end of Summer, facing off against the Shadow Hawk." CJ said. "Do you want me to continue?" The boy was sweating even more now, but Lincoln did his best trying to hide it.

"Oh come on." Lincoln said. "You really think that I'm that tiger kid because we both have the same chipped tooth? Or how we both have the same belt? Just because I was at the Renaissance Center that day doesn't mean that-" CJ smiled.

"I never said you were at the Reinassance Center." He spoke. Lincoln froze, realizing his error. He looked at him, showing some fear.

"Who are you?" Lincoln asked. "FBI? CIA? Are you Justice League, or Shield? Wait, those are just from the comics."

"Jamiko Miyamoto of the S.P.D." CJ said.

"What is that?" Lincoln asked.

"It's short for Space Police Delta, the protectors of the world and the galaxy." CJ said. "I know who you are Lincoln. I know what you are. I know that you gotten the Belt of El Tigre while you were in Texas while visiting a thrift shop. It wasn't until later you discovered the belt's power and used it to protect the city within the past two years. I also know that you have 10 other siblings, who are all girls, your best friend is raised by a same sex couple, and you're secretly in love with Miss Ronalda Anne Santiago. Shall I continue?" The boy stood there in deep shock. This guy clearly knew everything about him.

"I never told that to anyone..." Lincoln said, but then his eyes widened once more. "Could you excuse me for a minute?" He then turned around, facing the viewer.

"You Told Him?!" Lincoln asked the viewer. "You told him everything about me?! I thought that I could trust you guys! Oh wait, you guys didn't tell him?"

"Uh... who are you talking to?" CJ asked.

"The people watching us." Lincoln said.

"Huh?" CJ asked.

"Yeah... it's a breaking the fourth wall thing that happens around HERE!" Lincoln then flicked his Belt Bucklet, which then spun around, igniting with green energy. Then suddenly, a green fire engulfed him and in a flash, Lincoln let out a loud tiger roar. The light flickered, only showing the shadowy figurine of Lincoln, and a pair of glowing green eyes, rushing in to attack. He lunged forward, but CJ dodged, pulling a card out of his pocket.

"Samurai Storm!" CJ called out, and slammed the card into his belt. "HENSHIN!" Making a pose, he then transformed into Captain Japan. The shadowy Lincoln was taken surprise by this sudden transformation.

"What the?" Lincoln asked. "Who are you?!"

"Japan... Captain Japan." CJ spoke as he rushed in to fight. But the thirteen year-old then extended his claws, and countered the punches, swinging his own slashes. CJ then jumped backwards and summoned his R1-Pistol, and aimed it right at Lincoln.

"Guns?!" Lincoln asked. "You know it's illegal to carry a firearm without a permit, right?"

"Yeah, but I'm authorized to carry one." CJ said. "Don't worry, I've set it to stun you." He then aimed and fired, but Lincoln quickly jumped out of the way. CJ shot again, but Lincoln rolled to the ground, evading the attack. The boy jumped up onto the pillar and leaped. He then jumped in to attack, managing to successfully give CJ a couple punches and blows, pushing him across the floor. But the warrior stood his ground. He then rushed in, as Lincoln did too with a tiger growl. Lincoln was ready to swing his claws, but CJ leaned down, taking the boy off guard. He then grabbed Lincoln's belt and pulled it right off, zipping past him. Lincoln stumbled a bit, but kept his balance. He saw his belt gone. And without it, a burst of green energy surrounded him and in a flash, he was back to his usual clothing, including his eyes with black pupils. He turned around to see Captain Japan, holding the boy's belt.

"You really need to keep a tight grip on this thing." He said. Lincoln's mouth only dropped down, and so did his pants, revealing red underwear with white fabric lining on them. The thirteen year-old quickly covered his package and smiled nervously, his cheeks turning red with embarassment.

"Red underpants?" CJ asked.

"Actually, they're my victory undies." Lincoln said. "Lola gave them to me as a present... heheh..." CJ only rolled his eyes, then tossed the belt back to Lincoln. The white haired boy quickly pulled his pants up and tightened the belt around his waist, holding them up. The warrior then clicked his own belt, with the armor fading away in a flash.

"So... you were saying?" CJ asked. The white haired boy only frowned and gave a sigh of defeat. There was no use lying now.

"This is NOT how I wanted anyone to find out." Lincoln said as he slumped on the mattress behind him. "Are you gonna tell my parents?"

"Well that depends." CJ said as he sat next to the boy. "Talk to me. Why do you do what you do?" From the boy's movements, Lincoln was showing some discomfort not wanting to talk about it. But again, this guy does know about his hero shenanigans, so he might as well tell him why.

"Ok... where to begin." Lincoln said as he started talking. "I've had these powers for about two years now. And at first, it was pretty much for fun. You know, like, leaping off tall buildings, swinging across the skyscrapers, and just letting loose once in a while. And I've helped people from time to time, if necessary. It was good, and fun." He was showing a smile as he described it, until a frown formed on his face. "But then personal life became an issue, the bad stuff starts happening, and they happen because of me."

"Such as?" CJ asked.

"Sixteen months ago..." Lincoln began. "My sister Lynn... she was brutally assaulted."

"Ahhh, I was actually expecting you saying your uncle was murdered." CJ said.

"Nah, not that Spider-Man scenario." Lincoln Loud said. "Me and Lynn got into a huge fight that involved me being bad luck, being locked out the house by my family, and having to wear a Squirrel Outfit for good luck. The fight was pretty gruesome... that's how I got this." The boy pointed to the scar on his left eye.

"Not self-inflicted?" CJ asked.

"Nah, I'm more careful then the last guy who used it." Lincoln said. "As I was saying, I said some pretty harsh stuff to her, wishing that she was dead, and I just ran out the door and she followed suit shortly after looking for me, and then... well..." the boy was showing discomfort talking about it, but he continued. "She was attacked by some teenagers and... the worst part was that I saw them that day stealing money from a convenience store, and did nothing to stop them earlier. She got it so bad that she was landed into a coma, and I felt responsible." As he spoke, he could remember everything perfectly how it happened, and it was a bit frightening. Seeing his sister hurt and in a horrible state was really scary.

"I went out with the belt, became this and, I caught the bastards." He continued.

"And you killed them." CJ said.

"No." Lincoln said. "I was planning to, but I decided against it, knowing that killing them wasn't going to wake Lynn up. But I did threatened to do so if they tried escaping prison or were given a lesser sentence. Lynn woke up shortly after I apologized and we both made up. If I'm honest, we're now closer than ever before. But... what happened to Lynn... it still bothers me some times. After the whole thing, even though she forgave me and all, I still feel bad about what happened to her. One day, she told me to always be there for those who need me. And to this day, that motivated me to be a hero, to help those that need help. I don't wanna do something too big, but I wanna help those who can't help themselves."

"So you're looking out for the small fry." CJ said.

"Yeah, totally." Lincoln said.

"I'm glad you feel that way." CJ said. "Because I need your help."

"My help?" Lincoln asked.

"The SPD is putting a team together, and I've selected you to be a part of it." CJ said. "You possess a lot of skill, and with them, you can help us."

"Do what exactly?" Lincoln asked.

"To help us save the world." CJ said. "The world is in danger, and we need your help." Lincoln's eyes widened with a bit of surprise. He's been doing this for almost two years and he's gotten the attention of these secret protectors, and they want him to help them. To tell the truth, Lincoln was flattered.

"Wow... I'm flattered, really." Lincoln said. "But..."

"But what?" CJ asked.

"But if I go, who's gonna look after the city?" Lincoln asked as he got up from his seat. "I mean, Summer's here and it gets crazy around this time."

"I'm sure they'll survive without you." CJ said.

"Still, this is a really big deal." Lincoln said. "I need to think about it."

"That's fine." CJ said. "Think you can come up with an answer until tomorrow?"

"Well, I might need more time than that." Lincoln said.

"In that case then, I can just tell your parents about your crusading at night." CJ said as he made his way to the doors.

"WHOA!"

Before CJ could leave, something grabbed his arm. It was a brown glove claw with a red star,and metal nails extended from the fingertips. He looked up to see a chain, leading to Lincoln's arm, but the light wasn't there in his position to shine on him, only revealing green tiger eyes.

"Ok..." The boy said. "I'll do what you want. Just don't tell my parents... or my sisters, alright?" CJ only smiled.

"Alright then... El Tigre." He said. He looked at his arm, with the grapple claw still trapping his arm. "You can let go of me now."

"Oh, sorry." Lincoln said, and the claw retracted back to Lincoln's arm.

"How'd you do that by the way?" CJ asked. Lincoln took off a piece of the glove, showing a handle on his hand, and a silver bracelet on his wrist, where there was a chain inside it.

"Extended Chain Grapple Claw." Lincoln said. "Did some modifications to the equipment, the chains made of titanium aloe, along with the nails."

"Nice." CJ said.

* * *

**4!**

**So that's the end of this chapter. So yes, CJ has managed to convince... or blackmail Lincoln into helping him. Won't lie, this entire scene was inspired from the scene in Captain America: Civil War, where Tony Stark recruits Peter Parker to help him and the team find Steve Rogers and his fraction of the team.**

**Actually, Spider-Man's characterization in the MCU is what also inspired me to add Lincoln Loud in this story and give him El Tigre powers.**

**Also, I originally was gonna have this chapter short, but I wanted to feature all of Lincoln's sisters into the chapter. They're purpose in the story is pretty much small roles / cameos, and that's why I featured them all in this chapter. Sure, some of you hate them, like Lori, Lola, and Lynn, but I like them, especially Luna and Leni. Luna knows how to rock, and Leni is so adorable.**

**So anyway, in the next chapter, we're gonna meet some of the people that Sonic knows. Some of them at least. One of them is kept underwraps for a while.**


	14. Chapter 14: A Game of Chess

**Ok, here's pretty much a breathier chapter, where we meet some of Sonic's ideas. Also note that while Ratchet and Clank's backstory is sorta-ish a fusion between the Movie and the Original.**

**Their introduction is pretty much a retelling of the beginning of Ratchet and Clank 3: Up Your Arsenal.**

* * *

_**Chapter 14: A Game a Chess**_

_**Meanwhile... in a Galaxy Far, Far, Far, Far Away**_

_**Yeah it's really far...**_

_**Planet Endako**_

_**Megapolis**_

"You ready for this?"

"May the best player win."

The room was silent, where two figures stood facing each other, with a table between them. There was a yellow fellow, and a small person, face to face.

The yellow figure, named Ratchet, was actually a feline humanoid alien known as a lombax. His body was covered with yellow fur, two large pointy ears with brown stripes. His eyes were green, but with a darker color than Sonic's. He wore a short-sleeved orange and blue shirt. He wore a green-sea colored pair of pants, with brown boots, the same color as his gloves. There was also a long thin yellow tail.

The smaller one was a small diminutive defect warbot named Clank, with grey metallic skin, large green circular eyes, a red antenna, small articulated legs and arms with large three-fingered hands. There was also an air vent on his chest.

Ratchet is what many can consider... a trigger happy lombax, but not too trigger happy. Ratchet lived most of his life on Veldin, living and working in a garage owned by his mentor Grimmoth. Most of his life, the lombax has looked up to many of Solana Galaxy's greatest heroes such as Ace Hardlight and Captain Quark. He always dreamed of exploring the galaxy, wanting to become a galactic ranger and being a hero. That dream came true when he encountered Clank, who was on the run from the Blarg, and had information of a terrible plan by Chairman Drek, whose race was living in a very poluted planet, wished to destroy multiple planets and use the pieces of the planet to create a new home. Seeing this as an opportunity to explore the galaxy and meet Captain Quark, the two journeyed across the galaxy to stop Drek, his followers, and put an end to his evil scheme.

Over the course of the adventure, they helped the Galactic Rangers save multiple planets, helped others who needed it, and eventually learned that Captain Quark, the celebrity superhero of the galaxy, was working with Drek because he was announced as the official spokesman for his planet, plus, he needed some money. This placed a terrible strain on Ratchet and Clank's friendship, with the former wanting vengeance against the captain, while Clank has his mission to stop Drek. But when the two learned of the destruction Drek was causing, and sacrificing innocent lives, even his own soldiers, for his own goals, the lombax and robot realized that this was much bigger and worse than they originally thought, but they learned that they needed to work together to save the galaxy.

Through the power of teamwork, the dynamic duo, and of course Captain Quark, who developed a change of heart and realized that Drek was planning to destroy the galaxy, were able to stop the Blarg Chairman and use his newly built Deplanitizer, which had the power to blow planets to smitherines, to destroy his new planet home. Celebrated as galactic heroes, the two decided to return home to live normal lives, but promised to help save the galaxy should anyone threaten it again.

Now, it was two years since, and the two were living in an Apartment Complex in the Bogon Galaxy on Planet Endako. And apparently, they were playing a chess game called Galactic Chess, which is like chess, but with aliens from the Bogon and Solana galaxy, and Ratchet had just taken out the Mutant Firefly with his Blargian Snagglebeast.

"Haha!" Ratchet said. "My Blargian Snagglebeast devours your Mutant Swampfly! Betcha didn't see that coming." Then in an instant, Clank moved his security bot horseman into the Snagglebeast king, and tipped it over, surprising the lombax.

"Hey, what are you doing?" He asked.

"Check, and Mate." Clank spoke. "I win."

"What?!" Ratchet asked. "You can't do that! That's cheating!"

"On the contrary." Clank said. "The rules cleary states that the Blargian Snagglebeast has an allergic reaction to the Mutant Firefly that lasts two turns."

"Huh?" Ratchet asked.

"It means it makes your king vulnerable to any attack and cannot move for two turns." Clank said. Ratchet was about to speak, but then he checked the rules once more. Clank was right. The Snagglebeast will be immobilized should it take out the Mutant Firefly for two whole turns, and seeing that Clanks's security bot horseman was close to it, the little guy was able to take him out and win the game. Ratchet only shook his head wth defeat.

"Ooohhh... man, I was really close to winning." He said with a sigh. "Still, gotta hand it to ya Clank, you know how to strategize."

"Comes with being a robot." Clank said with a chuckle. But then the robot turned his head toward the TV screen.

_"And now... a special look into the new action tv show!"_

"Ooooo!" Clank said as he grabbed the remote. "It is on again!" He turned the volume up just as the show continued.

_**Maktar Casino**_

_**12:31am**_

_It was a good throw for the legendary Secret Agent Clank, dressed in a black metallic suit and black bow, as he rolled the dice and scored a perfect five. The crowd goes wild as the undercover agent performed well at the game. To be hoest, he wasn't here to play though. He was here to take down his nemesis, Maximillian, the gold robot with the brown suit, red eyes and the single monecle over his left eye, and the owner of Maktar Casino._

_"Your luck is extraordinary, sir." Maxmillian spoke as he took his metal cigar out of his mouth. "But do you lose as gracefully as you win?"_

_"I would not know, Maxmillian." Clank said. "I never lose."_

_"True, very true." Maxmillian said as his finger reached under the table and moved to press the red button under it. "There is a first time for everything, Agent Clank!" As he spoke the name, out of nowhere, well actually from above the ceiling, two Ninja Bots, orange and yellow colored robots with red lights and visors, and double-bladed laser swords came down to attack, while many of the players and audience made a run for it. Agent Clank, however, did not back down. He jumped on the table, ready to fight. One of the Ninja Bots swung it's sword, but Agent Clank jumped and dodged. Seeing this as an opportunity to strike, Maxmillian pulled out a pistol and aimed. Luckily, before he shot, Agent Clank took the metal plate on the table and held it up as Maxmillian fired, aiming it slightly towards the Ninja Bot as the red energy bullet hit, bouncing it back at the Ninja, killing it. Maxmillian fired again, but Agent Clank bounced the bullet back at the other Ninja, sending it to the ground. As the little secret agent landed on his feet, he threw the plate right at the ceiling lamp above Maxmillian, who was a bit surprised by this action, but laughed, not knowing that the cord was badly damaged and the lamp was loosening._

_"Ha, you missed!" Maxmillian said. "So much for the famous secret agent-" Before he finished however, the lamp fell right on the casino owner, and was electricuted for roughly five seconds before powering down._

_"Hmm, shocking." Clank said as the girl that was sitting next to him smiled._

_"Oh, Agent Clank." She said as she gave the little robot a kiss. Pretty soon, the two exited the casino, where Ratchet... or Jeeves, dressed in a red limo driver suit and hat, was expecting them._

_"Bring the car around, Jeeves." Clank said as he tossed the keys to the lombax. "And mind the ejector seat this time." As the robot and girl gave a friendly chuckle, the lombax only gave a groan._

**_Stay tuned for more SECRET AGENT CLANK!_**

The show ended as it went to a commercial. The show they were watching was Secret Agent Clank, a movie that is actually a parody of James Bond. The show stared Clank as the title character and Ratchet as his bumbling chauffeur, and the former takes on various villains such as Maxmillian, and the Mind Stealing Snot Beasts from Dimension X. Clank seemed to enjoy the spotlight of being a TV star, but Ratchet, while he was happy that his robot friend was getting some glory, was a bit embarrassed being a bumbling chauffeur instead of a badass partner. But it didn't bother him too much, though what really annoyed him was that many of the viewers and fans confused the show for being reality. After all, it is a holo-vision series.

"That was terrific!" Clank said.

"Yeah, great." Ratchet said as he rolled his eyes. "Now can we change the channel?"

"But the man said to stay tuned." Clank said. Annoyed, Ratchet grabbed the remote and changed it to a different station. One where it showed words in japanese with english subtitles.

_"And Now, More Kamen Rider Amazonz!"_

"There we go." Ratchet said. "Some human TV program with a cool language I can't understand." Clank only shook his head as they watched the show.

"Which one is this one again?" Clank asked.

"I think I've seen this one before." Ratchet said, seeing the opening intro of the show. "This is the one where the monsters are eating people. Man, I still can't believe Sonic helped us get channels from his galaxy."

"I do have to give credit to Miles." Clank said. "He really knows his way with computers. I wonder what they're both doing right now."

_-BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BO BOP BO BOP-_

The sound got the duo's attention, making them turn around to see a green light coming from the doorway.

"Oh, incoming call." Clank said as he got up from the chair.

"It's probably another telemarketer trying to sell more MegaCorp merchandise." Ratchet said as he rolled his eyes. "Don't worry, I'll get it." The lombax moved to the door and opened it. He looked around, seeing nothing. But as he lifted his head up, he saw something in the sky... a strange looking object... falling straight toward their house!

"Clank! We Got a Hostile Approaching Us!" Ratchet shouted as he ran back into the house, and pulled Clank, jumping to the ground for cover, just as the mysterious object landed hard right at the front door. Turning his head, the lombax leaned toward the doorway to see what was outside, holding his Combuster gun, ready to fire just in case. It was... a small device with the MegaCorp M symbol on it.

"What the?" The lombax asked.

"It appears to be a Balloon-o-gram." Clank said. Quickly, the screen on the device began to turn on, showing a smiley face with one eye.

**Hello!**

_Ratchet and Clank_

**You Lucky Devils!**

_Sonic the Hedgehog-_

**Has just sent you... A Galactic Greeting!**

Then suddenly, Sonic appeared on the screen with a smile. The Lombax's eyes widened with a surprise, with a smile on his face too.

"Sonic?" Ratchet asked.

"It's Sonic the Hedgehog." Clank said. Yes, they knew Sonic as well. Almost eight months ago, Ratchet and Clank were brought to Bogon to assist MegaCorp, one of the most largest corporations, being the leading manufacturer of all products in the Bogon Galaxy, including household devices, appliances, robots, weapons, gadgets, and commercial entertainment, run by CEO Ambercrombie Fizzwidget. MegaCorp hired Ratchet and Clank, the former trained as a commando, and the latter becoming a head accountant. The two were tasked to retrieve a biological experiment from a mysterious thief. Though their mission was complete, they were abandoned by the CEO, who was acting out of sorts when they returned the experiment, and they eventually ran into none other than Sonic the Hedgehog and his friend Tails Prower, who were trying out a new teleportation device they found in Eggman's abandoned lab, and it teleported them to Tabora, the desert planet.

After a little brawl between the lombax and hedgehog, the robot and two-tailed fox managed to break the fight and call it a truce, and they worked together to get off the desert planet and find Fizzwidget. During their search, they learned from a Testing Facility that the experiment, dubbed the Protopet, possessed high levels of monsterpropanase in it's bloodstream, which led to violent tendencies, such as killing and eating people. They also learned that the thief, who was actually Angela Cross, used to work for MegaCorp and only took the protopet originally to fix it's flaws when the other corporatives of MegaCorp pushed the release date. They also learned from a video by Thugs-4-Less, who were hired by MegaCorp to capture Ratchet and Clank, learned that there was a conspiracy within the corporation to take over and use the money for their own needs.

Together, with Angela's help and assistance from Captain Quark, who was on an apology tour around the galaxy to make amends for his actions in the previous year, they were able to infiltrate MegaCorp Headquarters to stop them from releasing the Protopet to the galaxy. However, they were kidnapped and brought to Fizzwidget, who revealed himself to actually be Stuart Zurgo, who used to be captain of the Captain Quark Cadet Fan Club, and was a huge fan of the Captain until he learned of Quark's previous allegiance to Drek, and vowed vengeance not only on the captain, but on Ratchet and Clank. Zurgo joined with the conspirators in hopes to destroy Quark, Ratchet and Clank, but he betrays them in hopes to be a real hero. Using the Helix-a-morph, a device that Angela made, he mutated the Protopet into a monster, but it went rogue and ate Zurgo up, leaving Ratchet and Clank, with Sonic and Tails's help to stop and immobilize the Protopet. Angela found the real Fizzwidget, who Zurgo had locked in a closet all this time. Zurgo was arested for his crimes and was sentenced to fifty years of house arrest with his mother, a fate that is apparently considered much worse than a life sentence behind bars.

After that, Ratchet and Clank bade farewell to Sonic and Tails, who were able to get back home with MegaCorp's Intergalactic Teleporter, and the two duos have kept contact ever since. And now, Sonic was sending them a message.

_"Hey guys!" _Sonic said. _"Hopefully you got this Balloon-o-gram by now. The Galactic Rangers told me that you guys were still in Bogon, so I decided to use this. Listen, I got something to tell you guys. I've been asked by some guys here on Earth to help them fight a group of bad guys who are up to no good. It's pretty much a save the world thing, but it sounds and looks bigger than I imagined. So, I need your help. I've already uploaded our planet's coordinates to your ship. If you get a chance, please come by, and I'll explain everything when you get here. See you guys soon... Ok, how do I turn this thing off-_

**Hope you enjoyed your Galactic Greetings!**

The message ended as the screen turned off and balloons came out from the top of the machine.

"Wow, that blue hedgehog knows how to send a greeting." Ratchet said.

"And it also seems that he is in need of our help." Clank said.

"Well then, let's get going." Ratchet said as he headed back inside to grab his stuff.

Pretty soon, the two were outside, just next to their Class-G Star Jumper starship, a nice space ship with a four seat cockpit, two small thing wings near the back with lasers on the end, along with high-powered missile launchers below the wings, vents on the side, and three thrusters on the back. It also has a Hot Rod paint job with a red color scheme with yellow flaming stripes, with a nice portrait of himself with a fierce expression painted on the side. This was given to him by the Galactic Rangers after he helped them save Kerwan from an attack led by Victor Von Ion. Right now, Ratchet was checking the box next to the ship, where some of the spare parts were kept.

"I wonder what it is that Sonic needs our assistance for." Clank said.

"Well, it sounds really important, so might as well see." Ratchet said, leaning into the box.

"But Ratchet, Earth is in the Milky Way Galaxy." Clank said. "It could take us days to get there."

"Not when we have this." Ratchet said, pulling out a strange device that looked like a plus sign. Clank nearly gasped in horror.

"Oh no... Not the Gravimetric Warp Drive...!" He said.

"Oh yes." Ratchet said as he approached their ship and he opened the compartment in the back.

"The untested gravimatric warp drive?" Clank asked. Ratchet didn't answer as he placed the warp drive into the ship, and it began to light up and power up.

"The one you built out of Blargian Scrap Metal?" Clank asked again. Ratchet only turned his head with a raised eyebrow.

"Coming?" He asked with a smirk. The small robot sighed as he lowered his head.

"We are doomed..." he said as he followed suit and the two hopped into the ship.

"Ok, settting course for Planet Earth, the Milky Way Galaxy." Ratchet said, punching the coordinates into the monitor. Turning the ignition, the ship began to turn on.

"Ratchet, are you sure about this?" Clank asked. "We haven't even tested if the warp drive works."

"You worry too much, pal." Ratchet said as the ship floated up into the sky, it's engines roaring and the thrusters began to light up.

"Planet Earth, Milky Way Galaxy, Here We Co-" Before he finished the sentence, the ship then took off, and lightning super sonic speed, a speed that was faster than light speed. In fact, it was Ludacris Speed! The kind of speed that would make Sonic's mouth drop.

-"OOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMME!" Ratchet screamed as he and Clank held on as the ship went so so fast, that it took them in a warp like tunnel.

"I Told You... We Are Doooooomed!" Clank shouted.

Then in an instant, the ship popped through a vortex of light and flew on steady.

"Woohoo!" Ratchet cheered. Looking at the displayed, the ship showed the exact location where they were.

**You Are Now In The Milky Way Galaxy!**

"Yes!" Ratchet said with a grin. The warp drive worked flawlessly, and they were in the Milky Way galaxy.

"You were saying?" The lombax asked, seeing Clank upside down in his seat, a bit dizzy.

"I stand corrected..." Clank said. Ratchet only gave a smile, and took his sight back up front, seeing a couple of planets ahead. There was one planet that was spinning on it's side, one that had icy rings around it, a massive planet that was very wide and big.

"Wow..." Ratchet said. "Those must be planets."

"The records show that these are one of the many planets that are unhabited." Clank said. "That massive one is known as Jupiter. The one with the rings happens to be Saturn, and the blue one is Uranus." Without hesitating, Ratchet let out a snirk. "What's so funny?"

"Sorry, that word sounds funny..." Ratchet said.

"What word?" Clank asked.

"Uranus." Ratchet said. Clank looked at him confused. "Separate the Ur from Uranus..." Clank began thinking, and then widen his eyes open with realization. He then shook his head in disapproval.

"Sometimes I wonder why the Universe has a weird sense of humor." Clank said.

"So, how much farther til we get there?" Ratchet asked.

"It should take us a little bit." Clank said. "We find the planet that has water, and green land areas."

"Shouldn't be difficult." Ratchet said. "Sonic said it's the third planet away from the sun."

"Then we should head there now." Clank said. With a nod, Ratchet powered the thrusters once more, going at a steady rate.

"We're on our way Sonic." He spoke as the ship continued it's course for Earth.

"I hope Earth is a lovely place." Clank said.

_**Meanwhile... The Wasteland near Spargus...**_

_**Actually, somewere near the Desert part of... the Grand Canyon?**_

"JAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAK!"

The scream echoed as an armed vehicle was driving out of a cave, with a massive monster with yellow eyes was chasing after it. This vehicle was a buggy, a driving vehicle that relies on four rugged wheels for traveling through the Wasteland terrain, consisting of an open chassis built of steel framing, mounted with engines, boosters, seating, and weapons. This well-armored buggy was the Sand Shark, which had a compact metallic frame, two seats, dual-mounted machine guns, and dual turbo boosters. It has four drift-less wheels, capable of attaining fairly high speed and a decent turbo duration.

Driving it was Jak, a tall man about 5'10, with pointy ears and cerulean blue eyes. He had short yellow hair, similar to a buzz cut. His body build was lean, muscular, and also athletic. He wore a dark blue leather jacket, with a white sleeveless shirt underneath with the House of Mar symbol on the front of his shirt, and the back of his jacket. He wore dark tan trousers, and he also wore boots with metal straps. He wore goggles, one big red one on the right, and a small one on the left side. A metal plate was attached on his left shoulder.

Sitting and screaming in the passanger seat was Daxter, the orange 2'10 ottsel with a yellow underbelly. He wore a pair of goggles too, with aviator's gloves. His shirt was red with a yellow collar and sleeves, and he wore a pair of three-quarter length denim shorts with a small hole for his tail.

Jak is a very interesting one. He was the son of the Late King Damas, born to the House of Mar in Haven City. But after being separated from his father following Baron Praxis's coup, he was sent back two hundred years in the past to be safe, and was raised by Samos Hagai in Sandover Village in the distant past along with his friend Daxter, who used to be human until their mid teenage years. Jak has the power to harness Eco, the energy of the world, consisting of many different types, such as green for life, blue for motion, red for strength, yellow for distance. Jak also has the ability to harness Dark Eco, which is unstable and dangerous, transforming those into monsters, and of course Light Eco, which is pure and holy, granting those to protect, heal, and slow down time too!

Jak is brave and curious, willing to step into dangerous situations if needed. Over the course of his adventures, he developed an angry and reckless behavior after he was kidnapped by the Krimson Guard, followers of Baron Praxis, and was subjected to dangerous Dark Eco experiments, which allowed him to turn into a monster. But he still possesses his heroic personality traits, and now he is more relaxed, less angry and more mature, though there is some anger under the calmer exterior.

And Daxter, well he doesn't do much, though he can climb walls and go into small places that Jak couldn't go through. He used to be human until he inadvertently dropped into a Dark Eco pool, which turned him into an ottsel. He's more of a comical one to be procise, afraid of danger, wanting to take the easy way out. But despite that, he's very loyal and always willing to put his own life on the line to save the ones close to him, especially Jak.

When they were around fifteen, Jak and Daxter went on a little adventure to Misty Island, a place that was restricted by their watchover Samos. During their time there, Jak, who was mute at that time, and his friend learned of a secret plot to destroy the world with an army of Lurkers, beasts that came in all shapes and sizes. Jak also learned that he could activate precursor artifacts, objects left behind by the mysthical Precursors, ancient beings who could wield the powers of the Astrals, and helped create the world everyone knows now. They were caught by a Lurker, but Jak was able to defeat and inadvertently knocked Daxter into a pool of Dark Eco, which resulted him being transformed into an Ottsel.

Returning home find a way to turn Daxter back, Samos tasked the two to find Gol Alcheron, a sage who studied Dark Eco for a long time and lives far to the North, far far to the North. With the help of Samos, and his daughter Keira, Jak and Daxter went off to the North, helping friends old and new, and collecting power cells to assist them in their journey. However, they learned that Gol, and his sister Maia, were corrupted by the dark eco during their studies and wanted to plunge the world into darkness by opening the Great Silo, and they kidnapped the Sages, including Samos, to help them build a giant Precursor Robot to do so. But Jak and Daxter, with the help of the Sages, were able to defeat Gol and Maia with the power of Light Eco, and they destroyed the robot, while Gol and Maia fell into the silo, and they were lost forever.

Soon after that, they discovered an ancient Precursor Door and with all the power cells they collected, they opened it to find an ancient rift gate and rift rider within it. Realizing that the two devices interact with each other, they decided to test it out. However, doing so opened a portal to the future and he and Daxter were separated from Keira and Samos, with the latter telling Jak to find himself. Jak and Daxter landed in Haven City, with the former being captured by the Krimson Guards and the latter escaped. Jak was then subjected to dangerous Dark Eco experiments for two years, and was rescued by Daxter, who realized that Jak, no longer mute, was more different than the curious boy he knew. Since then, the two had been on another adventure, taking down the Baron with help from the Underground, lead by Torn, a former guard turned rebel, and the Shadow, who was a younger version of Samos. They also took down the Metal Heads and their leader Kor, reunited with their friends, and secured the precious Precursor Stone, a stone that contains incredible power. After all that, the younger version of Samos went back to past with a young boy, who was actually a younger version of Jak, so that the latter would grow up safely in Sandover Village and become the hero and face against the threats his older self had.

After all that, Jak and Daxter and their friends decided to stay in the Present, finally glad to be back home, and also going on more adventures as well. Speaking of which, the duo were actually here in a Wasteland Cave outside the City of Spargus to investigate strange activity going on, and the source was the monster that was chasing them. While Daxter was screaming for his life, Jak was behind the wheel, keeping his cool.

"Hang on Dax, we're almost out!" Jak said.

"I Want Off This Thing!" Daxter shouted.

"You're more than welcome to get off anytime." Jak said.

"That's not funny!" Daxter shouted. "Can't this thing go any faster?!"

"You wanna drive?" Jak asked.

"Me drive?!" Daxter asked, and began to think. While he had ability to drive a race bike, he wasn't good with the buggies though. "On second thought, I'd rather have you do the driving!"

"You're welcome." Jak said. He then looked straight forward and saw light, at the end of the cave. It was the exit. He pressed on the gas, and speed up the buggy. And within an instant, the two were out of the cave, safe and sound.

"We made it!" Daxter called out with a cheer. Jak turned his head back at the cave.

"Not yet." Jak said, seeing the entrance of the cave bursting wide open, revealing a massive monster. They didn't know what it was, but it was actually a huge four-legged SHADOW-Kaijin! It looked like an Ambulocetus, a prehistoric-whale, and this beast had insectoid-armor and a powerful bite, from the looks of it's sharp teech. It let out a loud roar!

_**Ambulocetus-Shadow / **__**アンブロセトゥス影**__**!**_

Daxter's mouth hung open as he saw the monster. It was no metal head or any other monster they've seen before. It was definitely... something else.

"Oooh... my... god." Daxter said. "What is that thing?!"

"Whatever it is, it's angry." Jak said. "Hang on!" He shifted gear and turned the Sand Shark around, staring right at it. He drove forward, straight towards the monster.

"No no no no no no!" Daxter screamed, but Jak didn't stop. He then pressed a button on the steering wheel, and the machine-gun turrets rapid fired at the Shadowkan's feet, making it raise it's hands up to smash them upon the duo. But Jak then turned left and right, dodging the monster's feet while driving under it. As they passed it, they noticed a couple of other buggies approaching them. They weren't friends, however, as they possessed spiked wheels and addons, minimal armor made of scrap and they had open-seatings, with a red blaster on top of them. They were Marauders, savage humans whose only talents is killing people, so to speak.

"Oh great." Jak said. "We got company." He fired with the turrets to shoot some of the Marauder buggies, blowing them up, though some of the remaining ones passed the Sand Shark and had their eyes set on the Ambulocetus-Shadow. Some of the marauders, all wearing jagged armor and masks to hide their faces, got out to fight it with their swords and guns, only for the Shadowkan to swing it's mighty tail, sending them flying hard into rocks and trees. One Marauder buggie attempted to shoot it with their blasters, only for the beast to bite the entire vehicle with it's mouth and began chomping and eating it, including the savages that were inside.

"Ow..." Daxter said. Jak only stared at the beast with a face of determination. He knew if that thing was on the loose, there was no way Spargus, or possibly Haven City could stand a chance.

"Alright, let's do this." He said as he shifted gear again and drove up towards the monster.

"Oh god." Daxter said.

"Dax, get on the turret!" Jak said.

"We don't have a turret!" Daxter said.

"We do now." Jak said as he clicked another button on the wheel, revealing a bigger turret popping out of the top of the Sand Shark.

"Sweet!" Daxter said as he jumped back and hopped into the turret, aiming it right the Shadowkan. He pressed the fire button and the turret fired large bullets at the Shadow-Kaijin, breaking off some of it's armor off it's sides and it's face, showing it's yellow eyes.

"Ok, now what?!" Daxter asked.

"We're gonna get on it, that's what." Jak said.

"What?" Daxter asked as Jak turned the Sand Shark around and drove behind it. Getting enough distance, Jak turned the buggy around and chased after the monster. Seeing a ramp nearby, Jak drove towards it.

"Here we go!" He called out, as Daxter jumped onto his shoulder. Jak slammed his fist on the red button near the gear pad, and as the Sand Shark leaped up off the ramp, Jak and Daxter were ejected out of the buggy, high into the air. As Daxter screamed, this time with excitement, Jak somersaulted onto the Shadow-Mutant's tail and leaped onto its back. He then pulled out a cool weapon known as a Morph Gun, a very unique weapon that are mass produced in Haven City. It may look a bit small, but it's power lies in the Eco Mods it uses. Given a specific mod, it can transform based on the eco mod it uses. Jak equiped it with a yellow eco canister, allowing it to transform into an appearance of a rifle, dubbed the Blaster Mod. He then aimed at the parts where there was no armor and fired, shooting through the beast, causing sparks to burst out.

"Pull over, you son of a bitch!" Jak shouted as he kept firing all over, making the monster spark up and roar in pain. He then pulled out cool looked weapon known as a Macestaff, a club-like staff that was found in an old Precursor Temple. He then slammed it down on the Shadowkan's head, making it dizzy, before giving one final shot through it's neck, making it spark up and begin to blow up.

"Jak, we should probably get off now!" Daxter said.

"Got it!" Jak said as he and the ottsel jumped off the monster as it sparked up and exploded, with nothing left but it's head fall to the ground, along with a green crystal that was attached it's neck. The two approached the head and picked up the crystal, examining it. This was an Eco Crystal, a green eco crystal, which is a crystallized form of eco, which could explain the glow it was giving.

"Hey, an Eco Crystal!" Daxter said.

"Nice." Jak said. "Wonder why it had it."

"私たちは...多く... / Watashitachiha... Ōku..."

The man and ottsel turned their heads straight at the Shadow-Kaijin's head, hearing the voice coming from there.

"What?" Jak asked.

"Did that thing... just talk?" Daxter asked.

"私たちは勝ちます... / Watashitachiha kachimasu..." The Ambulocetus-Shadow spoke.

"Hey... speak a normal language, will ya?" Daxter asked as he jumped off of Jak's shoulder and kicked the side of it's face, mostly the strange device on it's cheek. It sparked up, and the Shadowkan spoke... in english.

"You cannot stop us..." The kaijin growled. "The Shadowkan... shall rise... again..."

"Yeah, not gonna happen." Jak said as he aimed his Blaster up and fired, shooting through the head, and finally silencing the Ambulocetus-Shadow up.

"Oh yeah!" Daxter said. "You sure showed him! Oh yeah, that was good."

"Welp, the desert's safe." Jak said. "Let's go." The two then left to head back home, but then a metal pad dropped from the Shadowkan's cheek, and it lit up.

"Ambulocetus Shadow, Report!" A voice spoke through, though it sounded static. Jak and Daxter turned their heads again, and saw the metal pad next to the Shadow-Kaijin's corpse. It beamed up and showed a holo-gram of a small bald and thin asian man, mostly Japanese, somewhere in his sixties or seventies, wearing a pair of large black rimmed glasses with aqua lenses, and of course a burgundy bathrobe with light red trim, black trousers and shoes underneath.

"This is Dr. Otomo Kamikazi, and I demand a report!" The holo-gram, Dr. Kamikazi spoke. "You better have that crystal we sent you to get, or you'll be swimming with my mutant octopus! We need the crystal for our plan! Where are you?! You mutant jackass, where are y-" As the old man continued ranting, Jak and Daxter looked at each other and shrugged. They approached the pad, just as the holo-gram of Dr. Kamikazi turned to face them.

"What the?!" He asked. "Who are you?!"

"Your mom, bitch." Jak said as he aimed his Blaster and fired, destroying the pad, and erasing the holo-gram completely.

"Ha!" Daxter said. "Hoped he knows who he just messed with, because if we see him again, he's gonna get a taste of Orange Lightning."

"He must've been using this Shadow monster to collect this crystal." Jak said, looking at the crystal in his hand. He then glanced at the monster's corpse. "What are these things?"

"Well, let's not think about it too much, Jake." Daxter said. "Let's get out of here. This desert's giving me the creeps." He had a point. There was not much to do now but leave. With that said, the two left. As they made their way towards the Sand Shark, which was unharmed, something popped flew from Jak's backpack and morphed in a floating pod, equipped with a speaker, camera, antennae, and microphone array. This was the duo's communicator, or talk box radio so to speak. It's a device that allows Jak and Daxter to contact their friends and allies.

"Jak, you there?" a rough voice spoke through.

"We're here, Torn." Jak said.

"And we have one monster dead and served up hot." Daxter said.

"Nice works you two." Torn spoke through the box. "Now the Wasteland can be more quieter now that the shakes have stopped."

"Definitely." Jak said. "So, is there anything else that needs done?"

"Actually, we just got a call from a friend of your's." Torn spoke. "We're linking the signal to you now."

"Copy that." Jak said, putting his morph gun in the back trunk as the talk box linked the signal.

"Hello, is anyone there?" Sonic's voice spoke through the communicator. Jak and Daxter turned their heads back to the talk box.

"Wait... is that?" Jak asked.

"Sonic?" Daxter asked.

"Yep, it's me!" Sonic's voice spoke. The two smiled as they heard his voice. Yes, these two know Sonic as well. A year ago, during the War for Haven City, Sonic went to the war torn city after learning that Eggman was sending some of his old scrapped robot parts to the KG Deathbots, lead by Cyber Errol. Sonic crossed paths with Jak and Daxter, which led to a fight, but then a truce when they were attacked by a Metal Head . The two worked to storm the KG War Factory hovering above the city. They were able to shut it down, and Sonic left after that, but returned when the Freedom League launched an assault on the Metal Head Tower to put an end to the monsters. The duo kept in contact with Sonic, who would visit Haven City sometimes to hang out or go on an adventure in the Wasteland.

"Hey, you're sounding pretty lively." Jak said.

"Sure am." Sonic said. "The guys told me you two were in the wasteland, so they linked my call up to the Radio Box. Hope I'm not interrupting something."

"Nah, it's cool." Jak said. "We were actually thinking about calling you tomorrow."

"So, let me guess." Daxter said, knowing something is going on. "You callin' us for something?"

"Actually, yes." Sonic said. "Now, I know this is all of a sudden, but I need your help. Some guys asked me to help them save the world, and I agreed to help them if I bring in some friends. I was hoping you guys can help us out."

"You kidding me?" Daxter asked.

"C'mon Dax." Jak said. "What's the situation, Blue Blur?"

"Well, it's kinda complicated." Sonic said. "Apparently the group that asked me for help are the SPD. They're like intergalactic guardians that protect Earth from strange Kaijin monsters, you know, humanoid creatures. They're like the Metal Heads... except their vicious and they're japanese, or something ike that. I've also called in couple of friends to help out, and the guy I'm working with is picking up his recruit right now. I'll be happy to give you more of the details, if you wanna help out." The two looked at each other and smiled. To be honest, with all the adventures they've been on, they've enjoyed going out on one. Since this was another opportunity to explore more of the world and help their friend see the world, they were really itching for a much grander adventure.

"We're always up for a little rubble, right Dax?" Jak asked.

"Fish in the barrel, baby." Daxter said with a smile. "Fish in the barrel. Which means yes."

"Alright!" Sonic said. "Oh... and by the way, I have another favor to ask you."

"Sure." Jak said.

"It better be easy." Daxter said.

"Well... I need you guys to pick someone up." Sonic said. "But be careful... he's an interesting one."

* * *

**3!**

**Well, that's the end of this chapter. It's gonna be interesting bringing these guys into the fray, don't you think?**

**As for the other hero, let's just say that's being kept underwraps for a little while longer. So anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Also... next chapter... Shit is about to gone down. You'll see.**

**The Shadowkan monsters are property of Kainsword-Kaijin. Please check out his DeviantArt page for the cool designs and artwork.**

**Oh, and here are some Japanese Translations**

**We... are... many... / 私たちは...多く... / Watashitachiha... Ōku...**

**We shall triumph... / 私たちは勝ちます... / Watashitachiha kachimasu...  
**


	15. Chapter 15: Hydra

**Shit's gone down, people! Shit has gone down! We're now making our way closer towards the end of the first Act. The bad guys are about to make their move. Don't expect some sunshines and lolipops in this chapter. This is where the intense violence is going to happen. Expect some blood and gore.**

* * *

_**Chapter 15: Hydra**_

_**In the Morning... back at the Watterson's House...**_

"Why am I wearing this again?" Aelita asked, showing herself to be in some sort of body armor, consisting of a bike helmet, a small pillow on her chest, sponges on her elbows and knees. Gumball was also wearing a sort of body armor as well, wearing only a tin bowl over his head, sponges on his elbows and knees, and he had a pillow around his body.

"For protection." Gumball said, trying to wrap something around the girl's stomach. "Dodj or Daar can be pretty crazy."

"Dodj or Daar?" Aelita asked. "You mean Dodge or Dare, right?"

"Not exactly." Gumball said. "Me and Darwin intentionally called it Dodj or Daar. Both for humor and copyright." The blue cat then finished carefully putting the metal bowl on the girl's bump. But the suddenly, the bowl popped off, dropping to the floor.

"Huh... that didn't work." Gumball said. But then an idea popped in his head. He took off the pillow padding off his body and wrapped it around the girl's tummy.

"Perfect." Gumball said, and then he leaned in and patted the side of the girl's pregnant belly, speaking to the baby inside. "There you go, little girl. Now you won't get hurt..." Seeing the cat act all fatherly and caring to the baby inside her made the girl giggle. Not only does he make a cute, charmy, and caring boyfriend, he'd also make a great father... should they one day get married and have a family of their own. When he was done, the two went towards the game board, which spelled Dodj or Daar, whic is actually a made up game that Gumball and Darwin invented a long time ago... which had some pretty disastrous results, which leads to making a huge mess in the house, or setting the house on fire... yeah, fun game... hehehe...

"So, how exactly do you play this... Dodj or Daar?" She asked.

"It's simple." Gumball said. "You roll the dice and take a card. If you pick a daar card, you must complete the task that is written on that card. If you accomplish the task, you move the number of spaces that you got. If you refuse or are unable to complete the task, you cannot move. But if you draw a dodj card and hold onto it, you can use it to negate the Daar card, do not have to do the task and go the number of spaces you get." The girl looked at the blue cat.

"Ok." Aelita said. "So the first person who makes it to the end of the finish line is the winner?"

"You don't win... _You SURVIVE_...!" Gumball spoke in a low and serious tone. "But yes, you win."

"Ok." Aelita said, as the blue cat placed the board on the ground, placing the two decks of cards, one of dodj cards, and one of daar cards. He then placed two pieces, a black chess piece and a soldier army piece on the board.

"Alright, now you get the first roll, my lady." Gumball said as he gave the girl the dice pieces.

"Ok then." Aelita said as she tossed the dice onto the ground, showing she rolled a twelve. She then took a card from the Daar pile and it red.

_DAAR: You must wear everything wearable in the house._

"Oooo, you got an easy one!" Gumball said wit a smile.

"So, now what?" Aelita asked.

"You just grab everything that's wearable in the house and put them on." Gumball said.

"Even your mom and dad's clothes?" Aelita asked.

"Yes." Gumball said. The girl looked with a bit of confusion, but she shrugged. She then rushed into the house and grabbed everything that she could. Luckily, all the clothes were getting ready to be washed, so there was no worry about getting them dirty.

"Ok!..." Aelita said, as she struggled to get the last hat on. "I finally.. put on everything that's wearable... in the house..." As the hat fit on the hat that was on the hat that she was wearing, Aelita only sat there on the ground, with everything that was wearable, such as her own clothes, Gumball's clothes, Anais's cothes, Nicole's clothes, Richard's clothes, even the winter garments. She actually looked like a beach ball with all those clothes, almost like Anais when she had all the clothes on. The girl could barely move, with the only limbs that could move were her hands and feet, and of course her head.

"There..." She said. "Whoo, that took a lot of effort. Now suddenly, I feel like a bloated beach ball." Gumball only looked at her with a smile.

"Or a blueberry girl, if we painted your skin blue." Gumball said. The two gave a happy chuckle. But soon, Aelita was beginning to lose her balance as she began to waddle back and forth and she was leaning a bit back.

"Oh, I got you!" Gumball said as he rushed over and pulled, but this caused her to roll forward and fall on her front, right on top of the blue cat.

"Gumball, are you ok?" Aelita asked.

"Yeah, I'm ok." Gumball said as he pulled himself a bit, finally able to breathe and release his arms out. Luckily with all those clothes the girl had one, she wasn't crushing him one bit.

"Sorry." She said.

"Oh no, it's alright." Gumball said, but then his gaze was right at her. The blue cat stared at her beautiful emerald green eyes, and he gave a smile. She looked so cute and amazing, even if she looked like a bloated beach ball.

"What?" Aelita asked, knowing that he was gazing at her.

"You look so cute... and beautiful." Gumball said.

"Even if I look like a beach ball?" She asked.

"Yeah." Gumball spoke as he caressed her face with his paws. Then, he began to kiss her on the lips. The kiss was so passionate, and they loved every second of it. Though suddenly, Aelita opened her eyes a bit. While all the clothes would make it difficult to feel from the outside, she did feel something thrusting slowly against her front.

"Gumball?" She asked.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Are you humping me?" The blue cat blushed, and smiled nervously.

"Uhhh... no?" Gumball asked, but then he looked down and noticed his hips were thrusting against the surface of the clothes. He only blushed in embarrassment. And what was more embarrassing was that he was still doing it! Normally a girl would feel a bit disturbed by that, but Aelita couldn't help but giggle.

"You are so weird." She said.

"Sorry." Gumball said.

"Don't be." Aelita said. "That's what I like about you." Hearing that made the cat blush, but this time he had a smile on his face. He leaned his forehead against hers. She didn't care if he was weird. She liked him that way. Perhaps because their feelings for each other were so strong and passionate... maybe too passionate for their own good. But they liked it. No, they loved it.

"We should... probably get back to the game." Aelita said.

"Yeah, I think you move twelve spaces." Gumball said. "But... can we just be like this for about five more minutes?" The girl smiled again, showing she wanted to stay and kiss him some more too.

"Ok." She said, as she leaned her head forward to kiss him even more.

"Wait... aren't you worried anyone would see us?" Gumball asked.

"Nah." Aelita said. "Let 'em look." The blue cat smiled.

"I love you." He said, and the two proceeded to kiss again, even more passionately than ever before, not caring who would watch them. No doubt he was still humping her, but she didn't care. Truth be told, she liked it. Back upstairs, Anais was writing on a piece of paper, writing down everything that she despised about Aelita. In fact, there was also a picture on the paper, of the little bunny stabbing the girl with a knife. The bunny was still too upset over how she saw that knocked up slut kiss her big brother, when it should've been herself instead.

"Stupid Aelita... Stupid girl. Stupid, Stupid, Stupid!" Anais said as her pencil broke. As she tossed the pencil away and reached over the table to get another one, she glanced out the window, but her eyes opened wide as she saw Aelita, dressed in all those clothes on top of Gumball, who was kissing her. Anais then showed a face of extreme hate, speaking in interrupted words.

"Wha... Ack... Wha... Eh... Ah, eh, ah, ack..." Anais stammered on her words, before she resulted into screaming with rage and pulling her own ears. She grabbed the scissors on her desk and began stabbing her desk and the paper before her multiple times, before banging her head on it violently. She then went to one of her dolls, shaking it violently before ripping it apart. She was acting like the time when she was at school viciously hunting for a friend, which was her unorthodox approach so to speak. This involved growling, screaming, acting violent and hissing with her tongue open. Her attention was then drawn to a pair of photos, which were actually copies of the photos of both Gumball and Aelita from using the photo booth yesterday. She picked on up and then ripped it in half and tore the half that had Aelita's face to pieces. She did the same with the other three photos, only instead of ripping them to pieces, she took those pieces, wadded them up and then put them in her mouth, chewing on it and swallowing down her throat. Unfortunately, with the wad being to big, it was caught in Anais's little throat, making her choke for almost a minute. But as she was about ready to pass out from the lack of oxygen, she gave one final swallow and gulfed the wads down straight to her stomach, making her little tummy bulge out a bit. She leaned against the wall and took deep breaths and coughed, slowly getting her senses back. Normally she wouldn't get this angry, but since yesterday, her anger has been getting worse. Apparently her rage episodes were escalating badly. Perhaps she got it from her mom. Anais looked down at her bulged stomach, and rubbed her tummy a bit.

"Die in there, you little skank." She said, imagining those pieces were actually Aelita, drowning and burning up in the little bunny's stomach. She only sighed. She was now imagining things now. If only she could shrink that slut and eat her whole. That would be good, but very impossible. She then made her way back to her desk, only to turn to the window and see her brother kissing that slut even more. Anger fueled Anais once more as she pulled her ears again with rage, surprisngly they were not ripped off from the strength she possessed. She then jumped on her bed and threw another tantrum. If her mom saw this, she would get a lecture. The bunny burried her face down, and only lifted it up to show hate filled eyes. She has had it. She couldn't take looking at that little pink haired skank anymore. She tried to get a hold of herself.

"Keep it together, Anais..." She told herself. "Only a little longer..."

Back downstairs, Nicole was doing the dishes while listening to music through her headphones, which was why she didn't hear Anais throwing a fit. She then saw out the window, seeing Gumball and Aelita giggling and kissing each other in the backyard. Nicole couldn't help but smile, seeing her son having fun with his new love, even if it was too passionate.

"Kids these days." She said as she placed the last dish away and dried her hands up with a towel. She then made her way across the dining room, but then stopped for a second. She then looked down at the ground and started thinking. Looking around, she saw that she was the only one in the room. She made her way to the storage closet near the TV and opened it up. On the side of the wall was a red button. Pressing her hand on it, a small pad flipped over and revealed itself, showing that it needed a key combination. She typed a few words in it, and it spoke.

_Access Granted!_

The wall then opened up, revealing something that no one would expect to see. There were weapons on the racks of the wall. There were all kinds of weapons, such as couple of pistols, a minigun, a small thin bat with a thin circle at the top, a shock blaster, a battle staff, and two gauntlets that looked like gloves. Nicole took the battle axe and examined it, which actually said words on it. The words spelled _Property of the SPD_. She clicked the bat and it sprung an energy blade that went down and up on one side, showing that the bat was actually a battle axe. She gave a sigh as she examined the axe, unaware of Darwin coming into the room.

"Mrs. Mom?" He asked, startling her. She quickly closed the door to prevent anyone from seeing. She turned to see Darwin.

"Oh, hi Darwin." Nicole said, showing a little bit of nervousness in her voice. "What's up, sweetie?" Darwin then glanced down at Nicole's hand and pointed.

"What's that?" He asked. Nicole's eyes shrank and she looked down at her hand, realizing that she was carrying the battle axe.

"Oh!... This...!" She said. "It's... a... Toy!"

"Toy?" Darwin asked.

"Yes, it's a toy." Nicole said.

"Cool!" Darwin said. "Can I try it?"

"NO!" Nicole shouted. "I mean, no sweetie, because it's... it's... a toy for grown ups, yes. a toy that only adults use." The fish looked at her in a confused state, until his mouth opened a bit and his eyes widened.

"Oooooh..." He said. "Is it one of those toys that you insert in the place where babies pop out of?" Nicole's eyes shrunk down as she heard that. She was about to say no, but she didn't want him to get anymore suspicious, so she said.

"Yes." She spoke. The fish stood there, but smiled.

"Ok!" He said. "I'm gonna go for a walk. I'll be back soon!"

"Ok!" Nicole said. "Just don't be out too long, alright?" The fish then happily skipped out the door, closing the door behind him. Nicole sighed in relief, then glanced down at the battle axe.

"Insert inside my... this thing won't even fit in my butt!" Nicole said frustrated a bit. But she only shook her head, thankful that Darwin didn't ask too many questions. She then turned around and opened the door, showing the room full of weapons. She placed the battle axe back where it belonged, but her eyes were drawn to the letters. S. P. D. She looked at the ground.

"Aelita told Gumball about her past." Nicole said. "I wonder if I should tell him my own past too..." She then closed her eyes, remembering something else.

_It was past nine-o-clock on a school night almost eleven months ago, sometime after the accident. Nicole was told on the phone that Gumball had gotten into a fight with Jamie earlier that day and the latter was in bad shape with a couple broken bones. Not only that, he disappeared, and he was gone the whole night. She was out with Darwin, who wouldn't rest until Gumball was found and brought home. They were nearby the forest, where Gumball would usually go to when he was in distress. Nicole was searching high and low for her son._

_Pretty soon, she heard noises coming from a far, which sounded like trash bins. She made her way to the source. She ran towards the alley way, and saw someone digging through the trash, trying to eat something. To her surprise, it was Gumball._

_"Gumball!" Nicole shouted, showing a worried yet angry expression. "Where have you been? We've been looking all over for you!" The blue boy cat turned his head around for her to see. Suddenly, Nicole's worried/anger face slowly melted away, and it turned to a face of fear. Before her was Gumball, but he was different... much different. His eyes had black sclera, and his cornea were glowing yellow with dragon slanted pupils. His arms were white and black, and his paws were now demonic claws, bloodied up. His upper forehead was black with a red glowing isignia on it with three yellow orbs, black antennaes, and his mouth had sharp teeth, also a bit bloody. The mama cat gasped as she saw the isignia on her forehead and the features her son possessed. She had seen those eyes before, the same eyes that she thought she would never see. Gumball gave a rabid growl, making the mama cat fall on the ground with a scared shout._

_"No... impossible..." She whispered. Her son, now a monster, slowly approached her._

_"__マスト__...__キル__... / Masuto... Kiru..." Gumball spoke through his sharp teeth._

_"Gumball... Gumball, please!" Nicole said. "It's me... it's your mother! Remember?!"_

_"Gumball!" Another voice called out far behind Gumball, revealing to be Darwin with a smile of relief._

_"Gumball, you're ok!" Darwin cheered as he ran up to his cat brother._

_"No, Darwin, Don't!" Nicole shouted, making the fish stop in his tracks._

_"Why?" Darwin asked, but it was too late. Gumball slowly turned his head, showing his yellow eyes and black sclera. The sight made Darwin's eyes shrink down to shock and his smile turned to a frown._

_"G...Gumball?" Darwin asked._

_"__マスト__...__キル__! / Masuto... Kiru!" Gumball shouted as he lunged at the fish with legs, who screamed as the blut cat pounced._

_"NOOO!" Nicole shouted as her son was on top of the fish, showing his razor sharp teeth._

_"Gumball, No!" Darwin shouted. "Don't hurt me! It's me! Your brother! Darwin!" Gumball raised his claw up, but then he froze, his eyes widened as he heard Darwin say his own name. The blue cat looked down at the fish, who was scared to the core. Suddenly, Gumball scanned the fish._

_"D...Darwin?" Gumball asked, his voice a little demonic but his real voice was there though. "Darwin?"_

_"Yes, dude!" Darwin said. "It's me!" The cat leaned his head and sniffed the fish. He gasped in shock and slowly got off the fish._

_"Gumball?" Darwin asked, as the blue cat backed away, showing fear._

_"Gumball." Another voice spoke, making Gumball turn violently, ready to attack, but he soon realized that it was just Nicole. His mother. The blue cat looked at her._

_"M...Mom?" Gumball asked._

_"Yes, sweetie." Nicole said, seeing that she and Darwin were reaching him. "It's me! Your mother!" The blue cat looked around, and saw a broken mirror, seeing his reflection, and his monstrous appearance. He gasped, and looked down at his hands... his claws, all bloodied up._

_"What am I...?" Gumball asked as he knelt down and began to break down in tears, horror and anxiety began to take hold of him. "What am I?" Suddenly, he felt the warm embrace of his mother, who hugged him tightly._

_"It's ok, honey." Nicole said. "It's ok. It's going to be ok." The blue cat's eyes cringed as tears began to leak out. He hugged his mother tightly and cried._

_"I'm sorry!" He said. "I'm sorry!"_

_"Shhhh... it's ok, Gummypuss." Nicole said. "It's going to be ok. Mommy's here." Darwin soon approached the two and gave a hug as well, allowing the three to be safe and in each other's embrace. Nicole knew what her son was... what he had become. But she also knew that he was still her son, the little optimistic boy she loves so much. He wasn't a monster... he wasn't a Shadow-Kaijin. He was her son. Always._

Nicole closed her eyes, allowing a single tear escape from her eye. She looked back outside, seeing Gumball and Aelita, getting out of the suit of combined clothes and happily playing the board game outside. She gave a determined look. She has kept her secret in the dark from Gumball and her family for far too long. Maybe it was time to tell them everything about her past, and tell her son what he really is.

"Maybe it's time... I told him the truth." She said. She knew it was the right thing to do. But now right now though, because he was playing with Aelita right now, so she's probably gonna have to wait. She put the battle axe back into the closet and closed the closet, allowing it to lock back up on it's own.

* * *

The sky was clear and the sun was shining down, as Mordecai and Rigby, the blue jay and brown raccoon, were sitting next to the foundtain, which continued to spray bits of water. They were drinking some soda as they were taking a little break from work. Yesterday they just got done mowing the park, and they recently ordered a Pizza. They were also waiting for Benson. It was payday, and they were eagerly waiting for their checks. During their waiting time, they were talking about Gumball and that girl he was talking with.

"So... that girl we saw hanging out with Gumball yesterday." Mordecai said.

"What about it?" Rigby asked.

"Well, you saw how close they were." Mordecai said.

"Close?" Rigby asked. "He was nuzzling against that girl's gut."

"Yeah, but you saw him smiling, though." Mordecai said. "He's happy. I haven't seen him this happy ever since the accident."

"Oh yeah." Rigby said. "The accident where a monster showed up out of nowhere, and mutilated the girl he loved since kindergarden."

"Uh huh." Mordecai said. "But now... now he's found love again. He's finally getting his life back on track."

"You're right." Rigby said. "I'm happy for him."

"Me too." Mordecai said. "Say, you wanna bet a buck that she's his new girlfriend?"

"Challenge excepted." Rigby said slyfully.

"HEY!" The shouts caught them both off guard. Turning their heads they saw Benson, looking red and angry as always.

"Benson!" They spoke.

"What are you two doing?!" He asked.

"Watching the sky." Mordecai said.

"You two are suppose to be mowing the park!" Benson shouted.

"We did!" Rigby said. "We mowed it yesterday." The gum machine glanced forward, and saw the park was actually trimmed.

"Oh... well, that's good." Benson said. "Now get up, we got a lot of work to do today." As he turned around, the blue jay and the raccoon glanced at each other and gave a nod.

"Hey um... Benson, we were wondering about something." Mordecai said.

"What?" Benson asked irritated.

"Well, yesterday was pay day and... well, we didn't receive our checks yet." Rigby said.

"I mean, there's no rush, but we were kinda wondering if-" Mordecai said.

"Oh yeah... thanks for reminding me, I was just going to give you guys something." Benson said with a smile, though his eyes were cringing up, as if he was up to something. "Here, take these." He reached into his fannypack and pulled out two pieces of paper.

"Aww yeah, the mucha!" Rigby said as he and Mordecai accepted the checks. But then, confusion and frowns appeared on their faces. They were not checks. They were blank pieces of paper.

"What's this?" Rigby asked.

"It's a piece of paper." Benson said.

"But it's not money." Rigby said.

"What the heck Benson, is this some kind of joke?" Mordecai asked.

"No... it's not a joke." Benson said. "Let me spell it out for you. I'm not paying you."

"Wait What?!" both of them said.

"Yeah, you heard me." Benson said. "You're not getting any money."

"Wait a second, why are we not getting money?" Rigby asked.

"Why?" Benson asked. "Why are you guys not getting paid? I'll tell you why! You both have done nothing but slack off for the past couple years and I'm sick of it!"

"What are you talking about?" Mordecai asked. "We get our work done!"

"Yeah, we get our work done!" Rigby said.

"Yes you do, but only when I make you guys do it!" Benson said, his body beginning to turn red as he got angrier and angrier.

"But you said to take things easy." Mordecai said.

"And besides, we've done some decent work around here." Rigby said. "And not only that, you never told us how to do most of the tasks you give us!"

"Wait, yeah he does-" Mordecai said.

"Stop Talking!" Rigby shouted. "How are we suppose to do our jobs when you don't give us pointers on how to do it?"

"Well that's not my problem!" Benson said. "And I... Don't... Care! From here on out, whenever I see you both slacking off, I'm deducting your pay. And since I've seen that seven times this whole week, you're not getting paid this month."

"What? That's Not Fair!" Mordecai said.

"And we need money!" Rigby shouted. "We just ordered Pizza!"

"Let me make this clear... I... DON'T... CARE!" Benson shouted. "If you want money you don't slack off, and if you slack off for even a second, you're not getting paid whatsoever! Now, I want you guys to get back to work... OR YOU'RE FIRED!" Mordecai looked at the manager and squinted his eyes. The blue jay then said one word...

"No." He said. Everyone froze.

"What?" Rigby asked.

"What?" Benson asked, his teeth gritting. "Did you... Just Say?"

"I said... No." Mordecai said.

"Dude, what are you doing?" Rigby ased.

"I'm sorry, did you just say No?!" Benson asked, with his body becoming even more red. "I've given you a direct order... And You... Say... NO?!"

"Yeah... I said no." Mordecai said, and then three words came out of his mouth.. "Cuz I Quit!" Rigby gasped as he heard the blue jay say those words.

"Wh...What?" Benson asked, his rage suddenly replaced with surprise.

"Yeah, I quit." Mordecai said. "If you're not gonna pay us for all the work we do, then I'm not gonna work at this job... jerkface." Rigby looked at his friend, and then at Benson.

"Yeah, and you know what?" Rigby asked. "I Quit Too!" The gum machine looked at the two with surprise and shock.

"What?!" He asked. "Wait a minute, you guys can't quit! _I'm_ suppose to fire you!"

"Well you can't fire us if we already quit." Mordecai said. "Besides, this job sucks, and on top of that, you're nothing but a complete asshole who has no friends what so ever."

"What?!" Benson asked. "I do have friends!"

"No you don't." Mordecai said. "Everybody only listens to you because you're their friggin' boss. And you know, I hope whatever fate has in store for you bites you in the butt."

"Yeah!" Rigby said. "In fact, I'm going to do something that I've been wanting to do ever since we met ya." Taking up his soda, he then threw it forward, splashing Benson right in the face.

"What the hell, Rigby!" Benson shouted, followed by a can thrown at him by Mordecai.

"Mordecai!" Benson shouted, followed by the ball Rigby was holding thrown at his face, forming a crack on his glass dome head. The gum machine then twitched, and his entire body became red. "GAAAAAHHHH!"

"Ok, I think we pissed him off." Mordecai said.

"Let's get out of here!" Rigby said. In an instant, the blue jay slammed the accelerator, spun the cart around and drove off, while Benson began to throw a tantrum and chase after them.

* * *

_Here I am, I got a J-O-B_

_Earnin' plenty o' dough for my family_

_Yeah, I'm Richard Watterson, employee_

_So have some R-E-S-P-C-K-T_

_I got a pizza in the box_

_I got a cola in the bottle_

_And I'll get it to ya faster_

_When I'm pullin' on the throttle!_

_Mild or spicy, my flavors will exhilarate ya_

_You get them double-quickly when I'm twisting the accelerator!_

_Twisting the accelerator!_

_Twisting the accelerator!_

Richard was rapping as he was driving his scooter, wearing his pizza delivery uniform, with a box of pizza safe and tied in the back. Richard loved his new job. Not only was he providing for his family, but he also got to sit in the scooter without having to walk. And the only walking distance he had was from the scooter to the door, and vise versa. As he drove on, he saw a golf cart driving down the street, with Mordecai and Rigby driving it.

"Oh hey Mordo!" Richard called out. "Hey Rigs!"

"Hey Richie!" Mordecai called back.

"You guys order a Pizza?" Richard asked.

"Yeah, toss it to us!" Rigby shouted.

"Here you go!" Richard spoke as he grabbed one of the pizza boxes with Pizza in it, and tossed it to the blue jay and raccoon, who caught it successfully.

"Thanks dude!" Rigby called out.

"Don't tell Benson you saw us!" Mordecai called.

"Sure thing!" Richard called back as he kept driving with a smile on his face. He then saw Benson, still red with rage, running down the street.

"Hey Pissy Boss Guy!" Richard said as he passed him.

"GRRAAAAAGH!" Benson shouted as he kept running.

"Wow... wonder what he's pissed off about this time." Richard said. "Oh well." He then turned the corner to right up to the Elmore Gas Station. Parking into one of the spaces, he got up and picked up the boxes from the back. He then looked around, trying to find someone.

"Hmmm... the address said right here, so where's the customer?" He asked himself.

"You! Over Here!" The voice made him turn to see a guy in a nice black armored suit waving his hand. The big rabbit approached him.

"Yes, you ordered the pizza?" Richard asked.

"Yes we did." The man said.

"Well, here you go!" Richard said, giving the box to the man.

"Thank you." The man said. "Hey guys, I got pizza!" Then, coming from the row of black trucks came out a couple more guys in uniform. What was very distinctive about them was that they all had the symbol of an Eagle's beak, on their uniforms, and on their trucks... The guys gave a nod a cheer and appraoched him. The guy holding the box then gave Richard the money.

"And here's a tip!" The guy said, giving the rabbit a twenty dollar bill, surprising him.

"WHOA!" Richard said. "Twenty Bucks! Thanks dude!"

"Anytime!" The man said. "Have a good day!"

"Hope you boys have a nice day!" Richard said as he got back on his scooter and took off driving, singing his rap song.

"Hey Drex! You want some pizza?!" The guy asked. Inside the gas station, stood Drex Archo, scanning the isle, searching for something. He's here. He made it to Elmore. And soon he will be closer to his prize, only if he could figure out where the street was.

"Excuse me sir!" A voice called him. Turning his head, he saw Larry at the counter.

"Are you looking for something?" Larry asked.

"Actually yes." Drex said as he approached him.

"Well if you're looking for the restroom, it's down the hall on your left." Larry said.

"I'm not looking for the bathroom." Drex said, pushing Larry's hand aside. "I'm looking for someone, and I need directions. Have you seen a young girl with pink hair?"

"Girl with pink hair?" Larry asked as he began thinking. "Hmmm... now that you mention it, I think I have seen a girl with pink hair just yesterday at the Grand Diner. Well actually, I work at multiple stores because I have so many jobs around town to help keep up the mortgage."

"You do?" Drex asked as he leaned forward. "Do you know where she is?"

"No." Larry said.

"I see." Drex said. "Do you know where York Street is?"

"Well, I used to, but I don't take that direction anymore." Larry said. "There's a family down there that I try to avoid because... wait, why are you asking me these questions? Who are you guys?" Before Larry could ask anymore questions, the mercenary grabbed him by the shirt, pulling him up to his face, and frightening him.

"Tell me... where the street is." Drex said.

"Sir, you're not allowed to threaten me." Larry said. Bad move on Larry's part, for that made Drex raise his metal hand, and it transformed into a blaster, locked and loaded.

"You were saying?" Drex asked, aiming the gun at the origami rock's head, who began sweating.

"Um... you're not allowed to carry guns in the gas station." Larry said. "Spoons also included."

Drex then left the store, where a tied up Larry was behind the counter, except the poor origami rock's body was tangled up like a human pretzel. The mercenary approached the trucks, where his men were eating some pizza.

"Hey man, you want pizza?" One of them asked.

"No." Drex said.

"So, what'd you find out?" The soldier asked.

"Nothing." Drex said. "Either these people here are useless, or this entire town is just... dense." Then he heard a sound coming from the sidewalk. There was Darwin passing by, humming a happy tune. Of course he was happy because now he has a new older sister.

"You there!" Drex called out, getting the fish's attention. Turning around, Darwin looked at the man confused, and looked around.

"Me?" He asked.

"Yes you." Drex said. "Come here. We have something to ask you."

"Sorry, I'm not aloud to talk to strangers." Darwin said. "It's a moral thing."

"Do you not know who I am?" Drex asked.

"No." Darwin said.

"I am a man who is with the top organization, and I catch criminals." Drex said. "I want to know if you've seen anyone that is... not like anyone else in this town?"

"Uhhhhhhh... well, to be honest sir, nobody here in Elmore is like anybody else." Darwin said. "And again, I'm not aloud to talk to you because you're a stranger." The man only raised an eyebrow, then gave a sigh and half grin.

"A wise choice boy." Drex said. "You should probably run along home now." The man then lifted his hand onto the side of the car window, revealing his metallic arm. Darwin froze instantly upon seeing the arm. He then suddenly recalled Aelita telling him and Carrie about her ordeal and how her friends were slain by a man with a metal arm. The fish with legs began to sweat.

"Ok... I'm gonna go... bye." Darwin said as he gave a fake smile and waved, walking away, and started running as he got far away enough. Drex looked at the fish with suspicious. He noticed that the fish was looking at him funny, as if he was scared... or knew something.

"Sir, we have a location of the street and address." One of the men spoke.

"Good, let's take off." Drex said. With a nod, the men got into the trucks, leaving the open pizza boxes behind. As they got into their trucks, Drex got into his own personal vehicle. A black jet doom buggie with armored detailing. They then drove off, heading to their location.

As Darwin got far away enough, he was able to hide in one of the bushes and took a peek. He saw the trucks driving away, but Darwin knew where they were most likely going. Making his move, he quickly took on running, taking the shortcut to the house.

"I Need to Tell Gumball!" Darwin thought as he made his way home, knowing that his family and Aelita were in danger!

* * *

"DODJ OR DAAR!" Gumball and Aelita shouted with smiles. "Roll the Dice, Pick a Card!" It wa Gumball's turn. He tossed the dice down, rolling a seven, and he drew a card.

_DAAR: You must build a house using only objects from the trash._

"Alright!" Gumball said as he cracked his fingers. "Watch and learn." He then gathered everything from the trash pile, and started to get to work, using the tools from the shed to connect everything he had, building a big house, using the wood pieces to keep it up, trash bags for the window, and the metal plates as the covers. Aelita watched with amazement.

"Wow." She said, seeing Gumball building the house. "Aren't you worried that you might get hurt?"

"Why would I get hurt?" Gumball asked, before almost losing his balance on the wobbly building.

"Well, it looks a little unsafe." Aelita said.

"Sometimes, you just gotta take risks." Gumball said.

"Gumball!" Darwin shouted frantically, making his way over the fence. "We Got A- what the?" The fish with legs looked up and saw Gumball building a house with the trash objects.

"Oh, hey buddy." Gumball said. "Whassup?" Darwin began to show a bit of anger.

"You guys are playing Dodj or Daar?" Darwin asked. "Without Me?!"

"I asked you if you wanted to play a game with us, but you said you didn't want to intrude on me and Aelita's alone time." Gumball called down from wobbly building.

"Well, you should've told me you guys were playing this game!" Darwin said.

"Well, excuse me for- WHOA!" Gumball shouted as the house below him began to lose it's balance and begin to break apart. The blue cat fell down from the top and into the pile of trash, hard on his face. Aelita gasped.

"Gumball!" She called out as she ran towards the pile, kneeling down to see if Gumball's ok. "Are you alright?"

"Ooowwww... that hurt so much... Ow..." He answered, his face buried into the ground.

"Dude, are you alright?!" Darwin asked as he helped his cat brother up. showing some broken teeth on the ground. Gumball lifted his head up, and turned to Aelita.

"Is my face ok?" He asked. The girl froze, and then took a deep breath.

"Ummm... your face is still intact." Aelita said. Looking down, she saw a mirror on the ground. Picking it up, she put it in Gumball's view so he could see his face. And to be honest, it was a complete mess. He had a black eye, his teeth were missing, and his mouth was bleeding.

"My face... my beautiful face..." Gumball said. But then suddenly, his black eye quickly healed up, and his teeth began to grow back, and his mouth fixed itself! His face was back to it's usual self, as if he was brand new again! The two gasped in amazement.

"What?" Gumball asked.

"WHOA!" Darwin said. "You have healing powers!"

"Huh?" Gumball asked, as he picked took the mirror from Aelita and stared at it, seeing his healed up reflection.

"Whoa!" Gumball said. "My face healed up! I didn't know I could do that!"

"Do you think it's because of you... monster abilities?" Aelita asked, as the fish with legs looked at her with a bit of surprise.

"Wait, how did you know Gumball can turn into a blood thirsty monster?" Darwin asked.

"Darwin!" Gumball said.

"What?" Darwin asked. "It's true... sort of."

"He told me about it, yesterday." Aelita said.

"Oh, while you two were on your date?" Darwin asked. "Was it before you kissed or after you guys kissed?"

"Darwin!" Gumball and Aelita both said in unison, getting him to stop asking for the details.

"Ok, ok, sorry." Darwin said.

"Say, what were you gonna tell us?" Gumball asked.

"Tell you what?" Darwin asked.

"You know, you were gonna say something before you whacked the ball into my face." Gumball said. The fish then gasped.

"Oh yeah!" Darwin said. "Guys... I don't know how to say this but... you guys remember telling me about Aelita's past and all, and how those crazy militia guys killed everyone at her school?"

"Yes?" Gumball asked.

"Well, what I'm about to tell you is going to be scary and shocking to both of you." Darwin said. "So please, do not flip out.

"Ok, what is it?" Gumball said.

"Well... uhhh..." Darwin said.

"What?" Gumbal asked.

"Ummm... Uhhh..." Darwin said.

"Dude, Just Say It Already!" Gumball spoke loudly.

"Alright!" Darwin shouted. "The guy with the creepy robot arm and his guys who were after Aelita are here in town!"

Both kids froze in place, Gumball forming a slow gasp, while Aelita's face quickly turned white with fear. They just heard what Darwin said. The man with the robotic arm wa here in town!

"Oh no..." Gumball said. Those freaks Aelita told him about. They were here? But how?! He turned to see Aelita, who began to breathe in short breaths, and it quickly turned to hyperventilation, almost like Gumball's, but way worse than his.

"Darwin, Go Tell Mom, Now!" Gumball spoke. In an instant, the fist with legs ran into the house. Aelita fell to her knees as she continued to hyperventilate.

"They found me... They found me...!" She spoke. The blue cat then hugged her tightly.

"Aelita, it's going to be ok." Gumball said. "It's going to be ok."

* * *

Nicole was just outside on the front lawn, checking the mail. She opened the mailbox and looked over the envelopes containing either letters, bills, or all that mail stuff that nobody reads or doesn't usually matter anymore. She then froze suddenly, feeling some uneasyness around her. Lifting her eyes up, she looked both ways and scanned the area around her. Her mother senses were tingling, as if something was going to happen.

Moving her eyes a bit slantly, she saw from the far distance some black trucks driving down the street. They were pretty far away for the naked eye to see, but Nicole can see things far away. Her instincts were telling her something, that something bad was going to happen. Suddenly, the sound of a motor pulled her from her right. Turning her head, she saw Richard pulling up in his scooter.

"Hi honey, just stopping by to see if you wanted Pizza tonight." Richard said. Turning her head back front, she saw the black trucks get close. "Honey?"

"Richard, Get in the house now!" Nicole said.

"But my shift's not done?" Richard asked.

"GET IN THE FUCKING HOUSE NOW!" Nicole shouted. As if on command, the pink rabbit ran into the house and Nicole turned her head, seeing the trucks coming closer. Quickly, she made her way back into the house, closed the door behind her. It was happening. This was really happening. Those people Aelita mentioned. They found them. But the question is... how?

"Mrs. Mom!" Darwin called as he came into the living room. "Those guys that are after Aelita! They're here in town!"

"I already know." Nicole said. The sound of the backdoor closing caught their attention, seeing Gumball excorting Aelita into the house. The girl was still white as a sheet, and her hyperventilation was rising. The mama cat approached her and gave her a hug.

"It's alright Aelita." Nicole said. "We're not gonna let them take you, alright?" The girl was still breathing too fast.

"Gumball, take her to the basement." Nicole said. "There's a small crawl space she can hide in until they leave."

"Do you think she'll fit?" Gumball asked.

"I'm sure." Nicole said, and then stroked the girl's hair. "Don't worry, You wait there until you hear us say it's safe, ok?" The girl gave a nod.

"Ok, Now hide!" As the girl clung onto Gumball, he took her down the basement. Nicole then turned toward the door, hearing the sounds of vehicles parking. Moving to the door, she opened it, seeing the trucks pulling up to their yard, pushing their car out of the way. Darwin leaned from behind her, seeing the trucks. Anais, who was coming down the stairs, also looked to see. Gumball then came up the stairs from the basement, with Aelita probably in her hiding spot. He moved next to his mom, with Richard coming down the stairs, more like tumbling down face first. Nicole moved out the door onto the porch, examining the trucks, seeing a Hydra's head on the vehicles. The trucks opened up, showing soldiers in uniform... and guns. The black jet doom buggie with armor moved up as well. Stepping out of it was Drex Archo. He closed the door, his trench coat flowing with the wind, and his metal arm was shining from the sun's reflection. Nicole squinted her eyes. She didn't recognize the man, but after hearing Aelita's description of the men who were after her, this was definitely the man with the metal arm. Her kids and husband leaned from behind her, crouching a bit with worriesome.

"Nicole... they have guns..." Richard said.

"I know Richard... just keep calm." Nicole hissed with her teeth gritting.

"You must be the Wattersons." Drex said as he approached the walkway.

"Yes... yes we are." Nicole said, making her way down the steps.

"Lovely house you have." Drex said.

"Well it's not for sale, if you want to buy it." Nicole said.

"No need." Drex said, and took a quickly glance at Darwin, who cowered behind Gumball. "Well as if fate crossed our paths again." He then glanced at the teenage blue cat, and then at the little pink bunny who was watching from the porch. "You have such _darling_ children."

"Thank you." Nicole said, keeping her cool. "Now, what is it that you gentlemen need?"

"And what can I do make you leave?" She thought.

"We have gotten word from an anonymous caller that you and your family... are harboring a fugitive in your home. And from what we know, it didn't come from you." Everybody didn't pay attention to the pink bunny behind Gumball cower a bit behind the blue cat.

"Well, I don't know who told you that, but you have it all wrong." Nicole said. "We're just a regular normal family... well, most of us at least." She turned to her husband, who was picking his ear. He stopped when everyone stared at him.

"Well, you don't look like a ...regular normal family." Drex said. "Now... where's the girl?"

"What girl?" Nicole asked.

"The girl that you're hiding." He answered.

"We're not hiding anyone." Nicole said. Drex turned his head, to see her kids, trying to show straight faces, though there was a tint of sweat on their foreheads.

"Your kids say other wise." Drex said, and then approached the three kids. "So they are your lovely children? Revolting."

"Excuse me sir, we are not revolting." Gumball said. "We're... um... I can't find the word to describe us actually."

"Do you not know what we do?" Drex asked. "We catch criminals, and bad guys, and you all hiding a fugitive makes you bad guys as well."

"Hmmm, you guys seem to be from a highly respected organization, but yet you don't have any trinkets or any form of identification to show your disposition." Anais stated, in which Drex raised his eyebrow.

"Hmmm, that's quite a lot of words coming from a little girl like you." Drex said. "You sound wise beyond your age." Anais then hesitated.

"Wait, what I meant was..." Anais said. "Duuuuhhhh... I'm sow dwumb, blah blah... dudududududuh!" The pink bunny then began making funny faces, trying to hide her genius quality. Drex only rolled his eyes, then glanced at Darwin, who was showing traces of sweat on his head.

"I can see the fish sweating as if he's afraid." Drex said.

"I am afraid sir." Darwin said. "Just of you guys."

"Yeah, you're scaring my brother here." Gumball said, petting his brother. "So back off!"

"Brother?" Drex asked. "How can a fish be a brother to a cat? Cats usually eat fish."

"Ok first off Mister, Darwin isn't just a fish, he is my brother." Gumball said. "And sure, I am a cat, and yeah, I've been craving tuna a lot lately... wait that's not helping at all. What I'm trying to say is, despite us being different species, Darwin is my brother. We adopted him. We took him into our home! And we love him! And you should be ashamed of saying stuff like that." Drex shifted a bit, showing his metal hand. Gumball then stared at the hand for a few seconds. This was him, he thought. The man Aelita described. Gumball looked at the man, and showed a very hateful glare. Seeing this, Nicole cleared her voice, getting the man's attention.

"For your information sir, we don't know anything about a girl." Nicole said, stepping forward. "We have nothing to hide." Drex moved up to her face.

"We'll see." Drex said. "Men, search the house! From top to bottom."

"Yes sir." The militia men said as they moved into the house.

"Wait, do you have a warrant?" Gumball asked. "You need a warrant to do that."

"My face is my warrent." Drex said as he approached the house. "My hand is my warrent. Men, search up and down, and leave no stone unturned."

"Hey, stay out of my roo-" Gumball spoke, but he was stopped by his mother.

"Gumball please." Nicole said. The blue cat only listened and stayed put. But he was worried. He was truly hoping they wouldn't find Aelita. The men went into the house, and searched everywhere. They searched under the couch, in the hall closet. In the parents bedroom, in Anais' room, in Gumball and Darwin's room, under their beds, even in the refrigerator. Then, they moved down the basement, searching. They didn't notice, but Aelita was in the crawl space, with the wall closed so nobody could see inside. Drex then scanned the area, seeing nothing down here, like nobody's been down here in years. It is funny that the Wattersons had this house for years and yet they barely went into the basement. The man then raised his metal arm, which then transformed into a flashlight. Clicking it on, he searched the area, up, down, left, and right. There was nothing to be seen. He then moved toward the small wall, and saw that the tile was tilted a bit. He then approached it slowly, his light switched back to his metal hand. He slowly moved toward the wall, and grabbed the edge of the tile. With a strong pull, he flipped it open, seeing into the crawl space. To find nothing. Nothing was in there. Nobody was in there. He leaned his head in a bit, looking left and right, still seeing nothing. With a defeated sigh, he moved away from the crawl space, and turned back to his men.

"Nothing's down here." Drex said, as some men leaned down the steps.

"There's nobody in here sir, not even in the Shed." They spoke. Drex then took one last look in the basement, then went up the stairs, not even knowing that Aelita was clinging to the ceiling of the crawl space, inclining that she must've moved up there to make sure nobody would see her. Lifting her head up, she heard the men go up the stairs and close the door. There was sweat on her forehead, but she gave a sigh of relief, glad that they didn't find her.

The men then exited the house, with Drex coming out first, and the militia following suit.

"There's no one inside the house sir." The man said, as Drex looked back at Nicole.

"See, nobody's here." Nicole said.

"True, but that doesn't mean you're off the hook just yet." Drex said, who then turned to Richard, who was sweating a bit. "Because your husband seems to be a little off balanced." He then approached the older rabbit, who was trying to keep calm.

"I recognize you. You're the fat rabbit who delivered the boxes of pizza to us. You definitely look like someone who's willing to save his own life." As Richard kept sweating some more, Drex got close to his face, and glared, with his fist raised up, morphing into a gun.

"You sure there isn't anything you're hiding?" Drex asked. "Anything... at all?" Upon seeing the gun hand, Richard's eyes widened and pupils shrank down to the size of pencil tips. He began to tremble and couldn't hold it in anymore.

"OK, I Confess!" Richard shouted. "Two years ago, I tricked the boys into doing my chores, challenged them to a lazy-off, let them win and made myself look like I was doing all the work when I actually wasn't so Nicole could force the boys to do my work for me-hehehehe!" Richard then sulked to the ground, as the Hydra Force, and Wattersons stood there quite shocked.

"WHAT?!" Nicole asked as she marched toward Richard. "Richard how could you do that to your own children?"

"I'm sorry Nicole!" Richard said. "It's been eating at me for the past couple years now! And the guy with the creepy robot arm was scaring me so much!" Nicole took in a deep breath and exhaled in a calm manner.

"We're gonna have a talk about this later." Nicole said to her husband, who whimpered.

"Um, can we get an apology for that by the way?" Darwin asked.

"In a minute, boys." Nicole said, then turned to Drex. "Like I said, nothing to hide." The man with the metallic arm looked back at the large bunny, then at the small one, and then back at the boys, who smiled nervously.

"Hydra, let's move out." Drex said as he headed for his truck. Gumball and Darwin sighed in relief, with the former taking a step forward, unaware that the step caused a slow low beep from the vehicles, which one of the men noticed.

"And please sir, don't bother us again." Gumball said as he and Darwin moved back to the house.

"You're luckly that I won't." Drex said as he moved toward his Buggie.

"I can't believe you got the boys into trouble..." Nicole hissed at Richard.

"I know... I feel so bad about it..." Richard said. "And least we get a happy ending..."

"Let's go, we're done her-" Drex said.

"Sir wait." One of the men in the suits spoke.

"What?" Drex asked.

"I think we should check the blue kid..." He said.

"Why?" Drex asked.

"The scanner just went off." The man said. Drex lifted his head, staring back at the soldier.

"Are you sure?" Drex asked.

"Yes..." The man finished. Drex then turned around, and looked straight at Gumball Watterson.

"You, little boy." Drex said, getting Gumball's attention.

"Sir, I'm fourteen, so I'm not a little boy." Gumball said.

"I don't care." Drex said. "Don't move." Gumball froze in place, as did the other Wattersons. What did they want now? From what Gumball was seeing, the man in the suit gave Drex a strange device that looked like a scanner.

"Boy, step forward." He said.

"Wh...What's that thing?" Gumball asked.

"I said Step Forward... Now..." Drex said. Gumball was a bit surprised, looking back at his family, who were also confused. Taking a deep breath, Gumball took a couple steps forward. Drex turned on the device and stepped toward the blue cat. As Drex got close however, the device began to beep, faster and faster with each passing step. As Drex got an inch close to the blue cat, the device beeped out of control, and a symbol on the monitor began to show and display...

**SHADOW-MUTANT DETECTED**

**HYBRID CONFIRMED**

Drex then smiled.

"I'll be damned... You're one of them." He said.

"What?" Gumball asked. "One of what?"

"He's a Hybrid!" Drex called out. "Collar him and lock him up!"

"Wait, What?!" Gumball asked as the men stepped forward.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Darwin asked as the men approached Gumball and took him by the wrists.

"Gumball!" Nicole called out as she saw her son being dragged away.

"Hey, Let Me Go!" Gumball shouted as he tried to move away, but their grip was strong that he couldn't.

"Let go of my brother!" Darwin shouted as he tried to move in, only to be grabbed by the men too.

"And take the family as well!" Drex said.

"Hey, this was suppose to be a happy ending!" Richard shouted, who was then taken by the men as well.

"Wait, Stop This!" Nicole shouted as the other men approached her. "You don't have the authority to do this!"

"My Face... and my Arm... is the authority!" Drex spoke. "Put them in the car!"

"Mommy!" Anais shouted as some of the men picked her up and took her away. Within an instant, Nicole quickly went into Mama-Lion mode, and kicked the men who were approaching her.

"Let My Son Go!" Nicole shouted as she moved toward the men pulling Gumball away. But she was then stopped and toppled by two of the men in suits. She struggled to get them off, but Drex raised his metal arm, which then shifted into a gun, and pointed it directly at the mama cat.

"Did you honestly think that was going to work?" Drex asked, then lifted his head to his troops. "Take the family away!"

"Mom!" Gumball shouted as he was pulled away. "Mom, Help!"

"Mommy, Don't let them take us!" Anais shouted.

"Please, I'm just a fish with legs!" Darwin cried.

"Stop Touching Me!" Richard shouted. "I have the right to defend myself!"

"STOP!"

Everyone froze, all turning their attention toward the porch, revealing none other than Aelita herself. Gumball's eyes widened as he saw his friend. The girl was no doubt sweating, and tears were forming in her eyes.

"Please... don't hurt them..." Aelita said as she stepped down the steps and onto the yard. "Take me instead... I'm the one who you're after... Just let them go..." Within an instant, Drex rose himself from his knees, moving his metal gun from Nicole's head. The mama cat was a bit worried, seeing the man approach the young girl. The man stood there in front of her, face to face.

"Well, what do you know..." Drex said as he raised his arm, pointing his gun at her, which then shifted into his metal claw. "Guess they really were hiding you. It has been a long time hasn't it. I remember when you watched your little friends die in front of you... one by one." The girl only stood there, tears were not dripping down, but showing. Seeing him distracted, Nicole slowly reached for her rainbow badge. Clipping it off, it then emitted an electrical spark, showing it to be some sort of a tazer.

"You're coming with me... silly girl." Drex said as he grabbed the girl by her shirt. Gumball, not wanting him to take her away, slipped through the other soldiers' grasp.

"NOOOO!" Gumball shouted as he charged toward him, with Drex shifting around, his metal arm turned into a gun and fired.

_-BOOM-_

Everything flashed as Gumball was shot in the head, blood gushing out. Everyone froze in shock and horror, and Nicole screamed as her son was shot. The blue cat then fell to his knees and leaned forward to the ground as the life in his eyes disappeared.

"GUMBALL!" Aelita screamed as the boy fell to the ground, dead. Tears were forming in Darwin's eyes, his brother was dead on the floor, blood seeping out of his head, and his eyes closed.

"Gumball..." He said with a trembling voice. Richard and Anais were shocked at what they saw.

"What a waste." Drex said, his metal gun reverting to his hand. Tears seeped down from Aelita's eyes, the sight of her friend dead on the ground was too much. But then her sadness was replaced with rage.

"YOU HEARTLESS BASTARD!" She screamed as she punched Drex a couple times, only for him to not flinch and quickly react as he whacked her with his hand, and grabbed her by the neck. His grip was choking her as he lifted her from the ground.

"Foolish girl." Drex said. "I lost a very valuable prize because of you... At least you were our main objective, and now we have what we want." As he spoke, Gumball's eyes suddenly opened up, showing his eyes all black, and his pupils glowing yellow. As his bullet wound began to close up, his forehead began to shift into black, with three other eyes opening up, and a strange sigil began to glow below them. His hands began to extend demonic claws, two black antennaes popped out from the top of his head, and some spikes emerged on his tail. His body slowly limped up, with a pair of monstrous wings and black spider-like legs gushing out of his back, and lifted him off the ground. Nicole, Richard, Darwin, and Anais were watching this, either in shock or horror, as were some of the men.

"Um... sir?" They spoke.

"What?!" Drex asked turning around, but then froze in place, seeing Gumball off the ground.

"GRRRAAAAAAHHHHHH!" The blue cat roared in rage, showing his fangs, and slanted demonic eyes. Drex was quickly startled by this, so startled that he threw Aelita to the ground. Raising his arm, his hand morphed into a gun and fired. The shots hit Gumball, but it didn't seem to affect him, for the bullet wounds quickly healed up, like Wolverine and his healing powers. With another loud screech, he charged toward Drex and pounced him, sending him against the fence. While they were shocked, the men raised their guns and fired, but the cat was not affected what so ever!

"LEAVE HER ALONE!" He screeched as the blue cat attacked the other men, mauling them to pieces. In the midist of the chaos, Nicole saw this opportunity to grab one of the men pinning her down, and with her Rainbow Badge, she electricuted him. One of the other men approached Nicole from behind, but the mama cat quickly swung her leg, tripping him. Then she threw a few punches on the man coming from the right. She then grabbed his neck, and with a quick pull, she cracked his neck, killing him. As he dropped to the ground, Darwin, Anais, and Richard stood there, completely frozen in shock. Either from Gumball's sudden transformation, or the fact that their mom just killed someone trying to kill her!

"Kids! Run for it!" Nicole shouted.

"Where?!" Darwin shouted.

"Head for the Shack, and Cut through the Yards, Now!" Nicole called out. "Richard, Go!" On command, Richard quickly grabbed Darwin and Anais and took off.

"Wait, Gumball!" Darwin called out.

"We Gotta Go!" Richard shouted as he took off with the kids through the backyard. Turning her attention, she saw Aelita on the ground, curled up and her hands over her head, hyperventilating. The mama cat quickly moved in and knelt down.

"Aelita, we have to go!" Nicole said. "It's alright sweetie, we gotta go!" The mama cat quickly helped Aelita to her feet. The girl's attention was turned to Gumball, who was charging foward and ripping some of the men to shreds, as Drex tried to shoot, but the bullets were ineffective.

"Aelita!" Gumball called out, his voice sounded demonic, but there was still some of his normal voice mixed with it. "Run! Get Out of Here!"

"C'mon Aelita, Let's Go!" Nicole shouted as he grabbed the girl's hand and pulled her toward the house.

"But Gumball!" Aelita shouted.

"Don't worry, he'll be fine!" She said as they both ran into the house. Drex turned his attention toward them, and clicked his gun.

"Oh no, you don't!" Drex shouted as he aimed his gun and fired. The shot missed them both as they ran into the house. Nicole then grabbed her rainbow badge and threw it at Drex, which stabbed him in his left chest, electricuing him. But he then pulled it off, as if it didn't effect him. Crushing the badge with his metal claw, it morphed again into a gun, and took aim. Nicole closed the door, and took cover, as did Aelita, who hid behind the couch. The sounds of gunshots made her curl up and scream, her hands over her head. Fear was striking her so hard, that she couldn't move.

"Aelita, wait here!" Nicole said as she got up and moved to the small hallway closet, dodging the bullets that fired through the walls and door. Opening the closet, and pressing her hand on the end of the wall, there was a small key combination that flipped and revealed itself. She typed a few words in it, and it spoke.

_Access Granted!_

The wall then opened up, revealing the weapons that were inside. She took them all, placing them all in the bag that was inside the closet, she took out one of the pistols. Closing the door in front of her and carrying the bag over her shoulder, she saw the front door open up, revealing Drex Archo.

"You are under arrest." He hissed.

"Fuck off!" Nicole growled, raising her blaster and fired, sending him off the porch. As he landed, he rose up, but felt emense pain on his chest. Looking down, he saw the blast burnt the upper part of his coat. Taking this opportunity, Nicole went back to the closet, and typed in a few more numbers into the pad, a couple words came up and displayed.

_SELF DESTRUCT INITIATED!_

As the timer counted down, Nicole ran back to Aelita.

"Come on Aelita, Let's Get Out Of Here!" She said, extending her hand out. The girl looked up. She was still hyperventilating.

"It's ok sweetie!" Nicole said. "Take my hand!" Giving a quick nod, she grabbed her hand, and the mama cat pulled her up. They then ran into the kitchen and out the backdoor. Drex got up to his feet.

"Don't just stand there!" Drex shouted. "After them!"

"Yes Sir!" The men called out. "Move in, Move in!" The men passed him and went around the house. The mercenary then turned his attention to Gumball, who slammed one of the soldiers into Mr. Robinson's car, busting it up, and then pulled off the other soldier's arms right off, causing blood to be gushed out of the sockets. As the soldier laid down bleeding to death, Gumball was then drinking the blood from the arm pieces that were gushing out the fluids. As he slammed them down to the ground, the demon cat then looked both ways, and down at the ground, seeing the pool of blood in front of him. Though it was dark, he could see his reflection. Gumball stared and growled at the image, but then he froze... seeing that it was himself. After a few seconds, Gumball's eyes widened with realization, and glanced down at his hands... no... his claws, all bloodied up.

"Wha… what's happening?" Gumball spoke, his eyes reverting to normal. "Wh...What did I just do?!"

_-BOOM-_

"Gah!" Gumball shouted as a bullet ripped through his sides, making him kneel down. Turning his head, he saw Drex Archo, reloading his gun.

"You are a monster." He said. "A hybrid of a Shadowkan and another creature. What wonders we'll have when we unlock your genetic code, and allow humanity to live in eternity!" Gumball glanced down at his side, and saw that it healed up quickly. Taking this moment, he sprouted his newfound wings and took off flying, leaving Drex all alone.

"You cannot hide from me, Hybrid!" Drex said as his gun transformed back into a hand. He then pressed a button on his wristwatch, and then the belt around his his waist began to glow.

"Death Metal..." He spoke as he clicked the belt, and it began to light up. His then raised his arms into the air. "TRANSFORM!" Swinging his arms down, his body began to glow and flash, while a metal and futuristic suit began to form all over him. His boots, gauntlets and shoulder pads were pure metal with spikes, his suit was a cyanish color with red detailing on his armor, and his helmet was shaped similar to a hyena, though very vicious, more vicious than an actual hyena. And his right arm was much more armed... and dangerous.

"Let us see how you'll outrun me... Death-Metal Armor Hyena!" He spoke through his helmet.

"MY CAR!" Turning his head, Drex saw Mr. Robinson coming out of the house, and seeing his precious car... destroyed.

"Who... Did... This!?" He asked. His wife Mrs. Robinson went to his side and whispered into his ear. Mr. Robinson then glared at Drex.

"You son of a bitch!" Mr. Robinson shouted and brought out his golf club. "You're gonna pay for messing with Gaylord Robinso-"

_-BOOM-_

Drex fired his gun, sending Mr. Robinson across the sidewalk. His body fell limp, bleeding, while there was some grunts coming out of his mouth. Mrs. Robinson however, glanced at her husband, then back at Drex, who clicked his gun. Seeing what would happen to her, she quickly ran back into the house.

"This place is starting to annoy me." He said.

* * *

Back with Nicole and Aelita, the mama kicked the backdoor wide open, and she and Aelita ran out. Looking forward, she saw Richard, Darwin, and Anais, all of them breaking down the fence.

"Nicole, Hurry!" Richard shouted. Looking back, the mama cat saw the timer on the closet door, counting down from 3...2...1...

"Get Down!" Nicole shouted as she grabbed Aelita and jumped toward the ground, with Richard grabbing the kids and jumping to the ground, him on his back so he wouldn't impact the kids.

_-BOOM-_

A firey explosion engulfed the house up, destroying everything inside... almost everything. Anais looked back at the house.

"Daisy!" Anais shouted, seeing her room destroyed, including her Daisy. But then a pink ball fell onto the ground, next to her, showing it was her Daisy the Donkey plushy, completely unharmed. She gave a smile and picked it up, nuzzling against it. However, the men with guns emerged from the side of the house, their guns aimed right at them.

"Oh No!" Richard shouted.

"C'mon!" Nicole shouted as she pulled Aelita off the ground and the two kept running.

"After them!" The men shouted. But then, in a loud zoom, a shadowy figure wearing a brown cloak appeared from above them. In his hand was a strange device. With a press of a button, it emitted a long green blade. With a mighty spin, he sliced the militia men up, causing them all to fall down. Nicole turned her head to see this mysterious figure save them.

He then unhooded himself, revealing it to be a teenager with blonde hair, with a front of it hanging a bit over his right side, with both eyes a greenish color. Under his cloak, he wore a white zipped up shirt with two lines at the waist. One red and one orange. He also wore long green pants and white sneakers. He also had an orange and opal watch on his wrist. He quickly turned his attention to the Watterson Family.

"Hurry, get out of here!" He called out.

"Wait, Who Are You?!" Nicole asked surprised.

"No Time For Questions!" The boy answered. "Find a Car and Go! Now!" Giving a nod, Nicole took Aelita, and Richard took Darwin and Anais, running over the fences. The boy then turned back, seeing more men approaching. Tossing his cloak away, he held a firm grip on his Energy Sword, ready to fight.

"Stand Down!" One of the soldiers said, and fired bullets. The boy then spun his energy blade about, like a Jedi deflecting energy bullets, but in this case, the boy was deflecting and bouncing back bullets, with multiple of bullets firing back at most of the men, killing them with their own ammo. The other soldier, who was confused, quickly aimed his, but the boy threw his energy blade straight into the enemy's chest. The soldier got to his knees, and the boy approached him, and yanked his blade out, with the guy falling backwards on the ground.

"That's what you get." He said, and made his way to the direction Nicole and her family went. One of the men on the ground reached for his walkie talkie.

"Send in reinforcements..." He spoke before dying on the floor. The family kept running throught the yard, passing and cutting through other people's property. But then, more black trucks began to emerge from all over, chasing after the family. Nicole held her blaster up and fired at the vehicles, some of the bullets hitting the truck's tires, making it sway out of control and into Mr. Small's house. After passing more yards, the family turned right, passing the side of the house.

"C'mon, let's go!" Nicole shouted as the others rushed through.

"Nicole, watch out!" Richard shouted, making Nicole look forward to see a car pulling up toward her. The mama cat acrobatically jumped over the car, startling Harold and Jackie, Tobias's parents, who were inside the car.

"Sorry, we're in a bit of a hurry!" Nicole said.

"What the hell?" Jackie asked.

"What's all that about?" Harold asked. Then suddenly, a black truck pulled up from behind the house and bashed into Harold's car. Two men came out of the window and drew their guns, causing the married couple to scream.

"Harold!" Jackie shouted. "Do Something!"

"Don't worry baby, I got this..." Harold said in a very serious voice. He then got out of the car and ran in the other direction.

"Sorry babe, but we're through!" He called out with a laugh, only to be run over by one of the armed trucks.

"Dumbass..." Jackie said with a hiss. The Wattersons and Aelita kept running down the street, with the mama cat seeing a nice yellow camero up ahead.

"We'll take that car up ahead!" Nicole said.

"Why?!" Darwin asked. "Is it a Transformer like that Bumblebee bot?!"

"No it's because it looks nice!" Nicole said. But before they got close enough, a black truck pulled up in front of them, with men jumping out from the back, drawing their guns out. The family stopped, and then a couple more black trucks arrived, surrounding the family.

"Don't move!" The men shouted, ready to fire.

"Hey!" The shout got their attention, turning back to the mysterious blonde boy. Lifting his right arm up, he pressed a button on his watch, sending a signal into the sky. Then suddenly, a strange figure flew down to the ground, sending a powerful wave that made some of the men fall to the ground. Glancing forward, they saw that the figure was actually a small robot, about half of the boy's size, white with blue arms and legs, light blue eyes, with two blue cylinders, one on each side of his head. Lifting his head up, his sensors targeted the men with guns.

"Robotboy! GO!" The boy called out, pointing forward. Upon command, the robot, Robotboy, activated his thrusters and charged toward the men, sending two of them flying across the street. Another one of them took aim and fired at the robots. But the robot was made of undentable and unbreakable metal, the bullets were harmless.

"Bad men hurt Tommy... Robotboy Hurt Bad Men Back!" The robot said. Flying in, he punched the man with the gun multiple times, and then hurled him into one of the other soldiers. He then flew straight up and back to the ground, slamming it with a shockwave, sending the soldiers flying.

"Whoa..." Darwin and Anais said amazed. The robot flew off the ground, and gave a satisfying smile.

"Robotboy!" The boy called back as he ran up to his companion.

"Tommy!" Robotboy spoke as he hugged the blonde boy.

"Wow!" Darwin spoke, getting both their attention. "Dude, that's amazing! Is this your's?!"

"Oh, not really." The boy, Tommy said. "He's actually Professor Moshi-" Shifting his head, he froze upon seeing Aelita. His eyes widened with pure amazement. Pushing Darwin aside, he approached the pink haired girl. Nicole, a little suspicious, was ready to pounce him in case he tried something.

"Um... Hello..." The girl said.

"Aelita." He said.

"Huh?" She asked.

"Aelita." Tommy said. "You're name is Aelita Hopper Schaeffer? Daughter of Waldo Schaeffer and Anthea Hopper, Are You?!" The girl froze, hearing the names of her parents.

"Y... Yes?" Aelita asked. The blonde boy then gave a smile, with a couple tears beginning to form in his eyes.

"It's You!" He said as he hugged the girl tightly, confusing the girl even more.

"Wh...What?" Aelita asked.

"Professor Moshimo said you'd be alive somewhere! I knew it!" Tommy said. The girl looked at the boy, around fifteen or so. This boy knew her? How?

"I'm sorry, but who are you?" Aelita asked.

"You don't remember me?" Tommy asked. "It's me! Tommy! Tommy Turnbull! I'm the boy you used to babysit whenever my parents were out. You know, the boy who would talk about robotics and such?" The girl looked at the boy closely for a brief moment, seeing his green eyes and blonde hair. She then gasped, remembering of a boy much younger between six and ten, having the same hair and eyes, and of course the square shaped face. This was that boy! The boy she would look after whenever his parents were out.

"Oh my god, it is you!" Aelita said. "You're the boy I would watch frequently!" She looked at him from top to bottom and bottom to top. Last time she had seen him was almost ten years ago, and he was pretty small. But now he's a little bit over her height.

"Wow, look how big you've gotten." She said.

"Yeah, I know." Tommy said, scratching his head. "And you're looking..." As he examined her, he then noticed the bump on her tummy, making his smile disappear.

"You're looking... um... roundish today?" he asked, showing blush marks. The girl looked down at her pregnant belly, her hands on it as she blushed.

"Um... it's been a tough ride." She said with a nervous smile.

"There They Are! Don't Let Them Get Away!" The voices turned their heads toward more mercenaries approaching them.

"Talk Later!" Tommy said, then turned to Nicole. "Jump start a car, now!" The mama cat gave a nod, and approached the yellow camero. Kicking the side of the door once, the door opened open, and she quickly pulled the wires out and mix them together.

"I said freeze, or we will shoot!" The soldiers shouted.

"Dude, you guys have been shooting us!" Darwin shouted. Tommy turned to Robotboy.

"Ro, time to Super-Activate...!" He said.

"Yes, initiating Super-Activation!" Robotboy said as he flew up. His angel blue eyes then shifted to a dark bright red. Fist bumping both fists together, his entire body began to grow to about seven feet tall, becoming boxier, jutted and sharp, and more humanoid, with large jet powered feet and massive colossal fists.

"Whoa..." Everybody spoke. The mercenaries looked a bit surprised. In an instant, Robotboy rose his hands up, shifting them into rocket launchers, and emitting two more arms with laser cannons, ready to fire.

"Oh Shit!" One of the mercenaries spoke, and they started to run away too late, as Robotboy fired lasers and rockets upon the foes, either blowing them away, blowing them up, or sending them to oblivion. As the mercenaries were cleared out, Nicole finally jump started the camero up.

"Car's ready, let's move!" Nicole shouted.

"Alright, c'mon kids!" Richard shouted as he picked up Darwin and Anais, throwing them into the back. Seeing the Wattersons getting ready, Tommy looked up at Robotboy.

"Ro, Fly up and circle around!" Tommy said. "Stay on our tail, I'll signal you if needed, ok?" Despite the lack of speech, the tall robot gave a nod and flew up into the sky, and the blonde boy ran toward the others, just as Nicole helped Aelita into the car.

"Wait, I'll drive!" Tommy called.

"Do you have a licence?!" Nicole asked.

"No, but I know how to drive." Tommy said as he pushed Nicole into Richard's lap from the driver side, and got into the driver's seat.

"Everybody put your seatbelts on!" Tommy shouted as he strapped his on, along with everyone else. "Let's Ride!" He stepped on the gas pedal and the car drove off, speeding away, unaware that some more black trucks drove off after them.

* * *

They didn't actually think that it would be possible, but the blue jay and the raccoon were able to flee from Benson. The two buddies just sat there in the cart, watching the street.

"Man, I can't believe we just did that." Mordecai said.

"I'll say." Rigby said. "I didn't actually think you were gonna say that."

"Me neither, but I guess it was gonna happen anyway." Mordecai said.

"Let's just hope Benson doesn't find us." Rigby said. "Sure he can't fire us now, but the way we just splashed his face like that, he's gonna kill us for sure." The two just sat there, with Rigby opening up a bag of chips, ready to eat them.

"You know what?" He said. "Maybe we can find a better job, one where our supervisor doesn't get to be an jackass all the time."

"Nah, I don't think so." Mordecai said. "I've been doing some thinking in the past couple weeks, and I was thinking about qutting before all this started."

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Rigby asked.

"I was gonna tell you this next month, but I'm thinking about maybe going back to Art school, or maybe go to college, I dunno." Mordecai said. "I wasn't kidding when I said working at the park sucks. I really need to find a career that I want to do that helps me make a living, you know?"

"What?!" Rigby asked. "Who gave you that idea? It better not be Margaret."

"No, it was something on my mind for a while now." Mordecai said. "I mean, we can't just play video games and work at the park forever. One day we're gonna have to get our lives on track, and might as well make it happen now."

"Well, you got one place to go back to, but I don't know what I'm gonna do." Rigby said as he began to wuff down his bag of chips into his mouth.

"Yeah, but maybe you can go to college with me." Mordecai said. "I mean, you did recently graduate high school, so I'm sure they'll let you in."

"Youf Fthingh?" Rigby asked with his mouth full. Usually, it's not that very polite to talk with a mouth full, but Mordecai found it very amusing.

"You want some milk?" He asked, pulling out a carton of milk. The raccoon gave a nod, and opened his mouth, in which Mordecai began to pour milk into.

_-BOOM-_

The sudden quake took them by surprise, making them look forward from their seats, with Mordecai still pouring the milk, right on Rigby's head. But their gaze was so focused, the raccoon didn't notice.

"What was that?" Rigby asked. They then saw a blue figure flying toward the ground, while multiple bullets were being fired right at him. The two recognized the little teen, seeing that it was Gumball.

"Wait, is that Gumball?" Mordecai asked.

"Dude, since when can he fly?!" Rigby asked in shock. The blue cat kept flapping his wings, but then a bullet hit them, causing him to fall straight to the ground face first. The two glanced at each other, got out of their cart and moved toward the blue cat.

"Gumball!" Mordecai said as they approached the cat. "Are you ok?!" The blue cat's ears... and antennaes twitched.

"Dude, are you playing dead?" Rigby asked

"GRAAAAAAAAHHH!" The blue cat screamed, showing his slanted black and yellow eyes.

"AAAAHHHHH!" Mordecai and Rigby shouted, in which the raccoon punched Gumball right in the nose.

"OW!" Gumball shouted. "What the F-OW! Oooooowww... that hurt!"

"Yeah well, don't scare us like that!" Rigby shouted. "Or you'll be kissing my feeeist!" The blue cat rubbed his nose, and his eyes reverted back to normal. But his features didn't.

"Dude, what happened?" Mordecai asked. "Why do you have blood on you?"

"And why do you have antennaes, wings, and badass mutant claws?" Rigby asked.

"Dude, some crazy psycho is chasing after me!..." Gumball said. "He's trying to kill me! I ended up killing some of his soldiers and-"

"Whoa whoa, dude, what are you talking about?" Mordecai asked. "Who's trying to kill you?" Then suddenly, there was a sound of a gun going off, with a bullet passing the blue jay and raccoon, both startled.

"Uhhh, maybe that guy?!" Rigby said, pointing straight at the shooter, revealing to be Drex Archo, still in his Death-Metal Armor Hyena form, with his metal gun aimed at them, and moving toward them.

"Come on dude, let's get you out of here!" Mordecai said as he picked up the blue cat and carried him to the cart, with Rigby following close behind.

"Don't worry, we'll keep you safe!" The blue jay said as he placed Gumball in the back.

"C'mon dude, he's getting closer!" Rigby shouted.

"Don't worry, I'm stepping on it!" Mordecai said as he got into the front seat and started the cart. Just as it started, someone quickly came up to the front of the cart, and slammed his fist on the front.

"YOU TWO!"

"AHHHH!" Mordecai, Rigby, and Gumball shouted, seeing that it was Benson, and he was flaming mad!

"Oh it's just Benson." Rigby said.

"Where do you two think you're going?!" Benson shouted. "I'm Not Done With You, Assholes!"

"Benson, now's not a good time!" Mordecai said.

"We gotta go!" Rigby shouted.

"Oh No You Don't!" Benson shouted. "You Give Me This Cart Back, Right Now!"

"No Way!" Mordecai said. "We paid for it!"

"So clearly it's ours!" Rigby said.

"Oh No It's Not!" Benson shouted. "Everything you purchase with the money you earn from working at the park is the Park's Property! Everything You Own, I Own!"

"Dude, you can't own anyone!" Rigby said. "Besides, we quitted our jobs, so everything that we bought with our hard earned money belongs to us!"

"Wait, you guys quit your job?" Gumball asked.

"He was refusing to pay us." Mordecai said.

"I DON'T CARE!" Benson shouted, his entire body beginning to go all red. "NOW GIVE ME THE CART BACK OR I'LL-"

_-SCTREEECH-_

"GAAAH!" Benson shouted, as blood began to explode from his chest, splattering all over the front of the cart.

"AAHHH!" Mordecai, Rigby, and Gumball shouted. Benson slowly leaned his head down, seeing a metal blade right through his stomach. Lifting his head up, he began to gurgle out words, coughing out gum balls and blood.

"You... Sonrg orgf afrg...berwwch-" Benson spoke, until the blade sliced up vertically. He slowly began to split up the middle in half, with pieces of his brain and organs falling out. He then collapsed to the ground, revealing Drex Archo, in full battle armor, with his metal arm, now a blade, pointing right at the boys. Mordecai and Rigby glanced down at Benson's lifeless body, then back at the man.

"What... The... Fuck?!" Mordecai asked in pure shock. Drex's hand then transformed into a blaster.

"He's Got a Gun!" Rigby shouted, then grabbed the milk carton and slammed it in Drex's face, making him stumble a bit.

"DRIVE!" Gumball shouted. Getting out of his trance, Mordecai quickly shifted the cart into reverse and slammed the pedal, backing the cart.

"Back Up, Back Up, Back Up, Back Up!" Rigby shouted as Drex aimed and fired. Luckily the boys had their heads down, saving them from being shot. They took off driving.

"Oh no you don't." Drex spoke as he charged after them.

* * *

Nicole's group were in the car, with Tommy driving onto the Elmore Expressway. His driving was fair, yet a bit swervy, almost making Aelita and Anais nauseous.

"Maybe you should let me take over!" Nicole shouted.

"No Thanks, I'm a much better driver than you!" Tommy said, revvin' up the engine to go faster.

"Well you don't do a very good job at it!" Nicole said. Looking back at the rear mirrors, he saw more of the armed trucks approaching them, with a couple of bikes closing in.

"AHHH!" Richard shouted. "The Scary Trucks Are Back!"

"Hold on, I'm gonna get rough behind the wheels." Tommy said as he curved the car, passing other cars who were driving. The trucks behind them drove after them, ramming into the back of other cars, making them turn out of control and crash. Apparently, the Hydra Force doesn't care for whoever gets in their way. Their only goal is to capture or kill their target, no matter the cost, even if the cost is innocent lives.

"Sweet Christmas!" Darwin shouted, looking out the window. "They totally yoshi'd those poor people!" Behind them, a couple of bikes, with the Hydra Force sigil upon them, also drove, pulling out their guns. They began to shoot, making the family scream. Luckily the bullets only hit the side of the car.

"Ok, Change of Plans!" Tommy spoke as he popped the driver door open.

"What the hell are you doing now?!" Nicole asked.

"You Drive, I Distract!" Tommy called out as he leaped from the seat onto the top of the car, while Nicole frantically took over the wheel. Pulling out his Energy Sword, he leaped onto one of the bikes, and sliced the rider on top, pushing him off and into a sign. From there, Tommy jumped into the seat and drove. Slowing down, he pulled out a robotic pistol and fired at one of the trucks, shooting the wheels and popping the tires, causing the vehicle to sway and ram into one of the signs that said **Welcome to Elmore!**, and flip over.

"Sir, we need assistance over!" One of the soldiers in the vehicles shouted.

"I'm busy at the moment!" Drex spoke over the phone. "Take your guns and kill them!"

"Yes Sir!" The soldier said. "Open Fire!" As on command, some of the mercenaries leaned out the windows, with guns drawn and fired, shooting at the car. The kids screamed in the back as the sounds of gunshots were heard.

"They're shooting at us!" Darwin shouted. A couple more shots were heard hitting the back of the car, startling them all.

"Kids, I need you to listen to me loud and clear, ok?!" Nicole asked, as all of them gave a nod. "I need you to open the bag up!" Taking her command, Anais opened the bag up, revealing the weapons Nicole placed in there. All of them yelped at the sight.

"Dude, what is all this!" Darwin asked.

"They're guns obviously." Anais said.

"Now kids, take those guns out and fire!" Nicole shouted.

"What?!" Anais asked. "Isn't that dangerous?!"

"Not as dangerous as disobeying your mother!" Nicole shouted. "Now Shoot at Them!" Without hesitating, Darwin pulled out one of the pistols, and Anais pulled out another. Leaning out the window a bit, they both took aim and fired, shooting at the trucks shooting back at them. One of Darwin's gunshots hit the truck in the middle, causing it sway to the right into the truck next to it, making them flip over and over several times until exploding.

"Yeah, I Got One!" Darwin shouted, however his little victory was cut short as more black trucks drove from the other side of the highway and drove onto the street, trying to ram the car.

"AHHHH!" Darwin screamed as he hid back into the car as more bullets came, and the trucks tried to ram the car.

"GAH, We're Gonna Die!" Anais shouted. "We're All Gonna Die!" She then turned his attention to Aelita. "This is all your fault! If Gumball hadn't brought you to our home, none of this would've happened!" But suddenly, Anais noticed that Aelita was barely listening, as her eyes were spinning and her face was a bit green.

"Aelita, are you ok?" Darwin asked.

"No..." She weakly said. "I don't feel so good..." She turned to her left and suddenly...

_-BLAAGH-_

Vomit quickly came out of Aelita's mouth as she hurled from the car sickness. And all that disgusting content was all over Anais, who sat there, disgusted.

"The... The slut... puked on me..." The Bunny spoke. Then...

_-BLAAGH-_

Anais vomited as well, this time on the floor of the car.

"Eww... but funny." Darwin said, only for him to scream as another shot was fired from behind, breaking through the glass of the back window. Looking into the rearview mirror, Nicole saw more trucks chasing them.

"Darwin, Give the Minigun to Richard, Now!" Nicole shouted. The fish with legs pulled out the minigun and threw into the front seat into Richard's lap, who began to yelp at the sight of it.

"Richard, listen to what I'm about to tell you!" Nicole shouted. "I need you to get out the car, climb up to the top, and shoot them!"

"SHOOT THEM?!" Richard asked. "ARE YOU CRAZY?!" Nicole gave him a glare, the same one she used at him when they chased Miss Simian for taking advantage of their feelings.

"Let me re-phrase that." Richard said.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" He shouted as he was hanging on to the side of the car. "WHAT DO I DO NOW?!"

"Get On Top and Fire!" Nicole shouted. Richard quickly made his way up to the top of the car. He kept his front on the car to keep his balance. He quickly pulled the Mini-Gun out, and pulled the trigger and fired. With it being a mini-gun, it began firing lots and lots of energy bullets, striking the trucks and their tires, making them lose control. Seeing this crazy shooting, Tommy drove out of the way.

"Sweet Mary and Moses!" He said as he swerved to the side, seeing the trucks tumble over and some of the drivers and passengers flying out and crashing into a nearby buildboard.

"I Got 'Em!" Richard shouted. "I Got 'Em! I... Have... The Pow-"

_-BONK-_

A blue bird rammed into his face, almost knocking him out.

"Ow..." He said. Everyone in the car looked back to see the trucks tumbled over, and no signs of any more showing up.

"Oh, thank goodness AAAHHHHHHHH!" Nicole shouted, seeing far up on the Expressway, seeing the huge gap in the road... where there was no road... There was a huge hole in the middle. Seriously, it's been two years and no one in Elmore thought about fixing that?!

"Everyone hold on!" Nicole shouted as she slammed on the breaks, doing her best to stop the car, with everyone screaming for their lives. The car finally came to a stop, with only the front just a inch out on the broken highway. Within seconds, the family finally gave sighs of relief, glad that they were safe.

"And that's why you should always wear a seatbelt, kids." Nicole said.

"Wait, where's Mr. Dad?" Darwin asked.

"Right here!" Richard said, popping his head out front near the window. He was alright, and unscathed. Everyone cheered with sweet relief.

"Oh, thank goodness you're alright, Richard." Nicole said.

"Well, good thing this minigun came in handy." Richard said, getting back into the car and placing it on Nicole's lap. "Just don't make me do that again."

"Ok, honey." Nicole said as she pecked her husband on the cheek. "Alright, let's get out of-" Suddenly, there was a low cracking sound, almost like cement breaking... uh oh. Nicole leaned her head out the window, seeing the highway right under the car beginning to crack. Suddenly, the ground below them shifted, making them yelp, and the car tipped over a teeny bit.

"Oh fuck me..." Nicole said.

_-CRACK-_

The Expressway under them finally collapsed, taking parts of the road, and the camero with it! Everyone screamed for their lives as they began to fall to their deaths... until.

Something pushed under the car to prevent it from hitting the ground. Everyone opened their eyes, and leaned out the window, seeing the blue robot, Robotboy, in his super-active mode, holding the car up with it's one hand. Everyone cheered with relief as the robot saved them. Robotboy flew upwards, just as Tommy slowed the bike down to see.

"Nice catch, Robotboy!" He called out. The robot leaned his hand out, allowing the boy to hop on into his grip. "Now let's get everyone down to lower ground!" The robot nodded and he flew down back to town with the boy and the car.

"Thank you, Mr. Boy with the Glowing Sword!" Richard said as they flew to their destination.

* * *

It was just chaos as Mordecai and Rigby kept driving through the streets with Gumball holding on for dear life, attempting to outrun the Hydra Commander, who kept shooting at them. Surprisingly the cart was able to endure all of this. It was able to survive many feats.

"He's shooting at us!" Rigby shouted.

"Can this thing go faster?" Gumball asked.

"It's going as fast as it can!" Mordecai said, swerving the cart, dodging the bullets Drex was shooting. The blue jay turned to cart right, only for the trio to drive through multiple yards. Many pedestrians jumped out of the way as the cart drove through, and hid as the Hydra Commander kept firing.

"Why is he after you?!" Rigby asked.

"I dunno!" Gumball said. "He's the psycho that kidnapped Aelita a year ago and now he's after her and me!"

"Aelita?" Rigby asked. "Oh, so that's your new girlfriend?" The blue cat froze as the raccoon asked the question. Tints of red emerged on Gumball's cheeks.

"Well... sort of." Gumball said. "It's not official just yet."

"Oh." Rigby said. "So, did you make it to second base or managed to make it to tier eight?"

"Dude!" Gumball shouted. "Now's not the time!"

_-BOOM-_

A bullet struck the side of the cart, making it swerve out of control, making the three scream in terror.

"Hang on!" Mordecai said as he hit the break real quick, making it spin a couple times. He then pressed on the gas, and the cart managed to stop spinning and swerve, heading onto a direct path.

"Ho, sweet relief!" Gumball said.

"Gah, he's coming!" Rigby said, pointing directly at Drex, who was on their tail and catching up. Mordecai looked ahead and saw a huge factory, which is actually the Rainbow Factory, where they make rainbows... out of gasoline, arsenic, latex, lead, and rust. Yeah, it's not all sunshines and lollipops. But it gave the blue jay an idea.

"We'll lose him at the Rainbow Factory!" Mordecai shouted. "Hang On!" He stepped on the gas and the cart drove towards the factory, passing multiple workers, making them drop some of the materials, including the gasoline. Drex continued to fire bullets, missing by an inch each time, making him angry. However, his bullets left burnt marks on the ground, which began to ignite the gasoline on the floor, making it spread across the factory. It followed the gasoline tank that was inside one of the factory buildings and exploded, incinerating and blowing the building to pieces.

"Jesus!" Mordecai shouted.

"AHHHH!" Rigby screamed as they drove into one of the office buildings. Knowing that they were going up, Drex, with his battle suit, scaled the wall in an effort to reach the top and ambush them. The three were making their way through the office, passing multiple desk workers. Pretty soon they drove straight into an elevator, and the doors closed behind them. As the sound of relaxing music played on the speaker, Mordecai, Rigby, and Gumball were just patiently waiting, while a couple of workers just stood there, confused.

_-DING-_

As the elevator doors opened, the cart drove out without stopping, and the three continued to pass more workers.

"You think we lost him?" Gumball asked.

"I think so." Mordecai said.

"WATCH OUT!" Rigby shouted, pointing forward, straight at Drex, who was rushing towards them with, his gun arm transforming into a sword. He leaped up and jumped on the top of the cart.

"He's right on top of us!" Rigby shouted. The armored man then lowered himself, revealing his head.

"Resisting Arrest?" He hissed.

"No, but how about some parallel spinning!" Mordecai shouted as he slammed on the breaks and turned the cart to the right, his feet slamming on both the breaks and gas pedals, making the cart spin out of control. Drex began to lose his footing, making him cling onto the top of the cart. But it was spinning so fast, making him lose his grip and get flown across the office floor, ramming into several metal cabinets, which then collapsed right on top of him.

"YEAH!" Mordecai called out with a smile.

"YES!" Rigby said, but then he gave a scream as he pointed forward, to the window wall the cart was heading straight for. The blue jay and Gumball then gave a scream as well, with Mordecai slamming onto the break and turning the other way to get the cart back in the control. The cart then came to a screetching halt as it hit the glass window, making it break and shatter, with the pieces falling from the thirty story building. The cart halted, with only the front on the edge, and the rest of it resting on the floor, with the trio safe and sound. Mordecai and Rigby gave a sigh of relief.

"My friends... we have achieved... the ultimate parking!" Gumball said.

"YEAH We did!" Mordecai called.

"Yeah-uh!" Rigby called.

"OOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHH!" The trio called out. But then, there was a metal sound, a sound like something ready to fall, right in front of them. They then felt the entire cart beginning to slowly move forward, over the edge.

"Awww shit..." Rigby said as the cart moved forward right off the edge. The three began to scream as they fell from the very high building. In a moment of hesitation, Gumball grabbed Mordecai and Rigby by the hands, then jumped out of the cart, pulling them with him. Spreading his wings out, he took flight, and hovered in the air, with Mordecai and Rigby clinging on.

"I Gotcha!" Gumball called out as he flapped his wings.

"YEAH!" Mordecai called.

"We're Alive!" Rigby said. The cart however, didn't survive the trip, as it crashed down into the pile of debris.

"NOOO!" Rigby shouted, seeing their cart destroyed.

"And we just got it paid off..." Mordecai said.

"Aw, man." Gumball said, looking down at his two friends. "I am so sorry." Suddenly, a bullet shot past Gumball, making him turn, to see Drex, covered in business papers, trying to shoot them down.

"Just get us out of here!" Rigby shouted. With a quick nod, Gumball flew forward, taking the blue jay and raccoon with him, flying away from the crazy man with the robot arm. Through his helmet, Drex gave a growl.

"Excuse me, sir!" A japanese accented voice spoke from behind Drex, who turned his head to see Mr. Yoshida, the grey humanoid cloud in the black business suit and red tie, and the owner of the Rainbow Factory.

"What?" Drex asked.

"You're gonna have to pay for all this." Mr. Yoshida said with an angry face, his hand pointing straight at the mess in the office, and at the destroyed Factory structure. Drex looked around and glancedup at Mr. Yoshida.

"Of course... here you go." Drex said, his sword transforming into a gun and he fired, hurling the Rainbow Factory owner into a wall. As the dust cleared, the business man was in a pile of paper and desks, moaning in a bit of pain. Luckily, he wasn't dead, just injured.

"You're hired..." He said as he collapsed.

* * *

Back with Nicole's group, Robotboy flew towards one of the empty buildings where there was some scrap junk laying about. Luckily, it was away from the black trucks, with only a few cars parked right near it. Tommy hopped down back on solid ground.

"Ok, Ro, just place the car down gently." Tommy said. The robot gave a nod and dropped the car, making it shake a bit as it hit the ground, with everyone giving a yelp. Luckily, no one was hurt inside, though the boy and robot cringed a bit.

"Yeah, still need to work on the gentle part." Tommy said, as the robot face palmed and shook his head. The boy made his way to the vehicle.

"Are you guys ok?!" He asked, as the driver door opened up, allowing Nicole to get out, while Darwin, Aelita, and Anais came out from the back.

"We're good... we're good." The mama cat said. Then the camero fell apart.

"Um, guys, I'm stuck!" Richard said, trying to squeeze his way out of the driver's side.

"Why aren't you using the other side?" Darwin asked.

"The car door is stuck." Richard said.

"MOM!" The voice got the mama cat's attention. Turning her head, she saw her son flying in the air, hovering toward them, with Mordecai and Rigby holding on to dear life.

"Hi Mrs. Watterson!" Mordecai and Rigby said, with the blue cat getting closer to the ground, allowing Mordecai and Rigby to drop safely. Gumball then floated to the ground, and gave a tired panting. Makes sense since he just carried two people older than him to safety.

"Gumball!" Nicole called, running toward her son and pulling him into a hug. "Thank goodness you're alright!" She nuzzled into his face. She then examined him. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah... I'm fine." Gumball said, a bit tired.

"Oh my gosh, you're bleeding!" Nicole said, seeing the blood over his teeth.

"That's not my blood." He said, about ready to tear up.

"What?" Nicole asked.

"I... I ripped some of their arms off... and... I was drinking their blood..." Gumball spoke tearfully. Tugging on her shirt, he pulled her and nuzzled his head, almost about to cry.

"It's alright Gumball, it's alright." She said. The others watched the mama cat comfort her son. Darwin however turned his head toward Tommy, who froze in place, showing an expression of shock and fear upon seeing Gumball and his particular form.

"Sh...Shadowkan." He spoke.

"Um... sir?" Darwin asked. The older boy, rose his hand up, showing his blade hilt, which then emitted it's long blade. With a warcry, the boy charged in, ready to strike. Gumball quickly saw him coming.

"Mom, Look Out!" Gumball shouted as he pushed her away, and Tommy quickly swung, but right toward teen cat, who dodged, the blade almost touching his muzzle.

"What the What?!" Gumball shouted, as Tommy pulled his blade back, and then swung again., but Gumball jumped out of the way.

"Stop!" Nicole shouted. "What do you think you're doing? That's My Son!" The blonde boy didn't listen, and swung again. Gumbal quickly dodged once more, but it was proven difficult with the style Tommy was using. The type of fighting he was initiating was Kendo, a japanese martial art which descended from swordsmanship and kenjutsu. It's a very unique style that influenced the Jedi and Sith fights from Star Wars.

"What the hell is wrong with you man?!" Gumball shouted, dodging a couple more attacks, Gumball then stumbled, nearly tripping, allowing Tommy to get a good swing, and slice Gumball's right arm right off.

"GAAAAHHH!" Gumball shouted as his arm fell right off.

"AAAHHHH!" Darwin, Richard, and Anais shouted.

"GUMBALL!" Aelita and Nicole screamed.

"DUDE!" Mordecai and Rigby shouted. The blue cat fell to his knees screaming, as blood with a mixture of black and red began to spurt out the socket. Tommy then pointed his blade forward.

"Stay Down, Shadow-Mutant!" He shouted. However, he noticed Gumball's sliced off arm began to quickly decompose and dissolve into a black liquid. Looking back at the cat, Gumball began to grunt violently as what was left of his arm began to slowly grow back, revealing a demonic monster-like arm. The sight brought shock to the others.

"Whoa..." Mordecai said.

"Uhhhh..." Rigby said, as Richard began to vomit onto the ground.

"What?..." Tommy said. "How'd you do that?" Gumball only lifted his head up, where his yellow eyes quickly slanted into a rage, and his newly restored hand emitted a sword from the top of his fist.

"GRREAAAGH!" He screeched as he lunged forward to strike, only for Tommy to dodge out of the way. The blue cat swung again, this time striking Tommy's energy blade. Tommy swung again, with the clanging hitting Gumball's arm blade. The blue cat sprouted his wings and spider-legs, and rushed in to attack. Tommy moved left, leaping onto the broken mattress next to him. Gumball then swung with his claws, but Tommy leaped off, flipping onto the ground, making a perfect landing.

"Whoa..." Darwin and Anais said almost impressed. Gumball then leaned his head and rushed toward the boy, using his spider-legs to move quickly, and swung his arm blade and claws to strike, as Tommy slid down with his knees, leaning back and dodged the swing by an inch, and used his energy sword to slice the spider-legs, making Gumball tumble over. Tommy then side stepped and charged forward, but Gumball quickly used his wings to fly up and push Tommy to the ground. The blue cat raised his arm, but suddenly he was shot in the back. Turning around, he saw Robotboy, still super-active, with his laser cannon aimed at the blue cat hybrid.

Gumball reacted with a growl and lunged forward to attack, as one of Robotboy's fists turned into a Saw Blade and flew in to attack, striking Gumball's leg, slicing it off. But then, it dissolved into liquid and Gumball's leg grew back. It was like everytime his limbs would get sliced off, he would regenerate. While it was painful to see her son in this rage state, she noticed his healing factors. She has seen something like this before, but where and how? Robotboy then flew up and aimed his left hand, turned into an energy cannon, and he began to fire multiple energy bullets at Gumball, who flew around and dodged. The blasts shot too close to Darwin and Aelita, the latter screaming in shock. The blue cat turned his head, seeing the girl afraid. He turned back to the robot with an even more angry look and flew in, striking Robotboy in the chest and managed to grab his arms, and tried to rip him apart. Suddenly, the blue robot sprouded out two other arms and pulled Gumball off, throwing him to the ground. The blue cat got back, letting out another shriek, but then another energy bullet shot right before his feet. He turned to see Tommy, holding a small energy pistol. The boy brought out his energy sword and moved in to attack. He swung, Gumball dodged, the blue cat struck, Tommy countered. Robotboy flew in and struck Gumball with his saw-blade, the blue hybrid cat swung his claws, with both Tommy and RobotBoy countering each time. As everyone watched with horror and worry, Mordecai and Rigby only chanted.

"Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!" Mordecai and Rigby chanted as Gumball kept attacking Tommy and Robotboy, who continued to dodge and counter the blue cat and his attacks. This time, Gumball's eyes became more slanted with rage, as he then raised his claw up, glowing with purple lightning, conjuring up a plasma ball sphere.

"プラズマボール / Purazumabōru!" Gumball shouted, as he fired the sphere, striking Robotboy and hurtling him into a pile of metal scraps.

"Hey!" Tommy shouted as he jumped behind Gumball, using his energy sword to choke the blue cat. "Nobody hurts my friend!" However, the blue cat grabbed the boy's arms and swung him acorss the floor. He then jumped up and charged up another plasma-ball. With a loud screech, he fired down. Tommy quickly leaped, but the ball hit the ground, causing him to be blown back a bit and into the debris behind him. Luckily, it wasn't too bad, and most of it was fabric and mattresses.

"Awwrgh... that hurt." Tommy spoke. Gumball was still growling however, showing that he wasn't done yet.

"Dude, that's enough, he's down!" Darwin called out.

"No... I'm Not Done!" Gumball shouted, his eyes glowing even more. "Kill... Must... Kill!" With no hesitation, he charged forward with his regenerated spider-legs. Tommy leaned himself up, but then saw Gumball charging toward him.

"Gumball, No!" Nicole shouted, as everyone else pleaded.

"DIE!" Gumball shouted as his claws extended, and his teeth sharped, ready to attack. Tommy closed his eyes, ready for what was to come.

"ENOUGH!" Aelita said, standing between him and Gumball. The blue cat quickly stopped. His blade almost reaching her nose. The blue demonic mutant cat raised an eyebrow in confusion, seeing the girl with pink hair. Aelita only stood there, with sweat rolling down her forehead. Tommy opened his eyes, seeing the girl protecting him.

"Hnnngh?" Gumball grunted.

"Gumball... it's me." Aelita said, lowering her arms, and stepping forward.

"Aelita-" Nicole spoke, but Darwin stopped her, shaking his head. Looking back, they saw the girl approach Gumball, who was still confused, and taken by the girl's innocent beauty.

"It's Aelita... your friend, remember?" She asked. The blue cat tilted his head. She then rose her hand up, and moved it forward. Gumball glanced at the girl. In his mind, everything was cloudy, but the girl's voice echoed in his head. Seeing her hand, he leaned his forward. Soon, both hands touched. Gumball looked back at the girl's face.

"A...Aelita...?" He asked.

"Yes... it's me." She said, with a hopeful smile. She then took his claw, and gently placed it onto her stomach. The blue cat froze, feeling the unborn child pressing against his hand, and a strong heartbeat too. The blue cat then widened his eyes in realization. He lifted his head back up towards the girl, his eyes reverting back to their usual dark blue coloring.

"Aelita..." He said. The girl tearfully smiled and nodded, as his hand left the surface of her bump. In an instant, he grunted in pain, and covered his face with his claws. His spider-legs pulled him back, and began to tremble. Soon, they lowered and the blue cat knelt down onto the ground. The legs began to submerge back into his back, followed by the wings. His blade and his claws began to seep back into his body, and his hands returned to normal. His antennaes and eyes disappeared, and the spikes on his tail submerged as well. The blue cat laid onto the floor, his arms keeping him up, gasping, followed by a slow breathing. The girl then approached him.

"Gumball?" Aelita asked, caressing his head up.

"I'm sorry..." He said. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." Those were the only words that he could get out of his mouth. The girl knelt down behind him and gave him a big hug.

"It's ok... it's ok." She said, nuzzling the back of his head. The others only watched, with Tommy get up, putting away his saber hilt, but his face was surprised. She managed to calm the blue cat down. As for Nicole, she gave a sigh of relief, thankful that Aelita stopped her son and snapped him out of his blood rampage.

"Wow..." Mordecai said. "That was awesome."

"Totally better than _Skyline_." Rigby said. "...The first movie at least."

"Hello?" a voice came from the car, making everyone turn, seeing Richard still stuck in the car. "I'm still stuck!"

"C'mon, let's get your father out of the car." Nicole said as she went up to the car and pulled on Richard's arms, trying to get him out. But with his wide and big size, he was tough to pull out.

"Hold on, we'll help you!" Mordecai said as he and Rigby went to help her, grabbing Richard's arms as well and pulled.

"God, he really needs to lose some weight!" Rigby said.

"Hey, I told you guys it's a problem with my glands... or something like that." Richard said as they continued to pull. Then, with one more pull, the three pulled him out, all of them falling to the floor.

"He's out!" Mordecai said.

"Dad, are you ok?" Darwin asked as he approached the big rabbit.

"A bit scratched, but I'm ok." Richard said. Nicole rose up and rubbed her head.

"Man, that was exhausting." She said, as the blue jay behind her looked around.

"Wait, where's Rigby?" Mordecai asked. Then there was a loud and long sniff coming from below Nicole. Looking down, she saw that her skirt was a little puffy, and a waist with a pair of brown furry legs below her. She felt movement on her bottom, and a sniff. It was Rigby, looking up Nicole's skirt.

"Heh... no panties..." The raccoon spoke.

"UGH!" Nicole shouted as she got up and covered her skirt, preventing a dizzy Rigby from seeing anymore. He laid there dizzy, and blushing.

"Rigby!" Mordecai said as he helped him up. "Are you alright?"

"I think so... though I didn't see any panties... only shorts." Rigby spoke, making Nicole blush in embarrassment.

"Well, at least we're all safe and sound." Richard said. But then suddenly, a plasma bullet shot right at them, startling the group. Looking up, the mama cat saw Drex, still in his combat form, shooting with his arm.

"Awww, I spoke too soon!" Richard shouted. The Hydra commander leaped off the building and landed on the ground, his Death-Metal Armor Hyena transformation still active.

"All of you are under arrest." He said, making his way towards the family, but mostly towards Aelita. The girl backed away as Gumball stepped in, his arms out to protect her.

"You're not taking her!" The blue cat shouted. "She's been through enough!"

"Awww, how sweet." Drex said, his voice unamused and unfeeling. "You have such a strong love for this girl. Don't worry, Shadowkan-Hybrid. You'll be joining her in a cage as well." Nicole's eyes widened, hearing the word Shadowkan. That's why the man wanted to take him, because that scanner showed that her so was a Shadowkan... but... a hybrid? What did that mean.

"You won't lay a finger on her..!" Gumball growled, his eyes showing yellow and black sclera, his hand morphing back to a claw, and two spider legs popped out of his back.

"Watch me..." Drex said as he continued to approach them both. The blue cat stood his ground, but then Tommy stepped in, and raised his energy sword right at Drex.

"Don't even try." He said.

"How wonderful..." Drex said. "You want to protect this monstrosity?" Tommy looked back at the blue cat, but also back at Aelita. He smiled.

"If he's willing to protect her, then yeah." Tommy said. "But I don't think you should worry about us though."

"What?" Drex asked. Suddenly, Drex was hit from behind, making him stumble with his footing. Turning his head, he saw Robotboy, his laser cannon up and giving off steam, showing that he shot the Hydra Commander.

"How dare you!" Drex shouted as his gun arm transformed into a blade once more. Robotboy then flew in, hitting the Hydra Commander in the face. The two then fought, with Drex using his sword to strike, while Robotboy used his Knuckle Blades to bring brutal damage. As the two continued to brawl, Gumball then felt a bit dizzy. His claw turned back to his paw, the spider legs went back into his body, and his eyes returned to normal. He almost fell to the ground, but Aelita caught him just in time.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

"Yeah, I'm just a little dizzy." Gumball said, rubbing his head.

"We better get out of here." Tommy said. Nicole turned her head, seeing a Subaru Sambar vehicle yards away. On the back of the vehicle was a brown cover that was held up from the backend.

"Quick, To the Subaru!" Nicole called out. The group then made their way to the vehicle, as Drex jumped from the building to reach their level. Turning around, Nicole pulled out her pistol and fired multiple times, managing to hit Drex in the knee, causing him to drop down. With the opportunity in tow, Richard, with Anais in his arms, jumped into the passenger side. The mama cat got into the driver's seat and began to hot wire the Subaru, while Gumball, Darwin, Aelita, Mordecai and Rigby jumped into the back. As the car came on, Nicole lifted her head up, seeing Robotboy being kicked away by Drex, who turned his attention on approaching them.

"Eat Exhaust asshole!" Nicole growled as she stepped on the gas pedal, and the vehicle drove forward. Turning the wheel, the vehicle drifted, with the end heading straight for Drex. With a loud bonk, Drex was hit by the subaru, causing him to flip over and fall on his front face flat.

"Yes!" Tommy shouted, as the Subaru took off, leaving Drex on the ground. The brown raccoon in the back leaned his head out, seeing the mercenary still on the ground.

"Ha!" Rigby shouted, stepping on the side of the subaru's rear. "You can't get us now! How you like that Biatch-!" In an instant, Drex rose himself back up, reaching for his belt. With a fling of his arm, he threw a spinning eight edged ninja star right toward Rigby. The raccoon was thrown back just as the blade went over his head. He fell back into the truck. He opened his eyes, completely shocked at what happened, feeling his head hurt. A red line on his forehead right above his eyes was visible and fresh.

"Rigby!" Mordecai shouted, rushing to his friend. "Oh my god!" The blue jay lifted his friend up, seeing the red lined wound on his forehead, which began to drip blood, covered it up with his sleeve.

"My head... my head..." Rigby said pointing to his forehead.

"It's gonna be ok Rigby." Mordecai said. "You're gonna be ok." The vehicle then got onto the road and went off, as Drex and Robotboy continued to fight. Drex, not wanting his prize to escape, quickly pounded the robot and used his energy sword to slice off Robotboy's arm. He then picked it up and swat the robot with it. He then glanced at the robot arm, which suddenly shifted and transformed into a cannon. Before Drex knew it, the arm fired an energy blast, blasting the Hydra Commander right into the pile of debris, and making him drop the robot arm. Robotboy, shaking his head, picked up his arm, glanced at the pile of debris, and made a loser sign with his hand. He then took off flying to follow Tommy and co.

Within seconds after the robot departed, Drex slowly lifted himself out of the rubble, brushing off the dirt off his armor. He then made his way toward the end of the street, but saw that the robot and subaru was already gone. Lowering his gun, which shifted back to his metal hand. His real fist began to clench. If anybody could see his face right now, he would throw a phone across the room. But instead, the car parked next to him would have to do. With a loud shout, he grabbed a hold of the car and flipped it over in anger, causing it to tumble across the sidewalk.

"MY CAR!" A female voice shouted. Turning his head, Drex saw an orange simple shaped figure with an abnormally large head, noodle-like arms, legs, and her body was spoon-like. She had blue lips too. Everyone knows her as Felicity Parham, while others know her as an extremely snobbish and discouraging individual to seperates her own son from anything that she deems is a negative influence.

"You Moron, my son is inside that car!" She shouted. "You are so gonna pay for this! You low-leveled, wretched looking, son of a-" However she was cut off, as Drex lifted his metal arm up and fired, shooting Felicity right in the chest, the impact pushed her to a fence piece, and blood spattered out of her chest. The mother laid there, bleeding out as she began to choke on her own blood. Drex approached the body, not even staring at it. He then aimed his gun upward toward her head, and fired again, blowing her brains out.

"I hate this town." Drex said, and just walked away, leaving the corpse on the floor. The only thing that was there was the sound of a little boy with a british accent not too far.

"Hello? Mother, is everything ok? Mother, are you done yet? Mother? Mother? Mother?"

* * *

The road on the highway was clear and showed no signs of any other vehicles, especially the black trucks. That was a sign of good news, for nobody was following them. But Wattersons were still in anguish, struggling to believe what had just happened. They lost their home, their belongings, and their car. They were nearly killed as well. It was a miracle Gumball survived, but the thought of her son had gotten shot like that. That was terrifying.

"We lost our home..." Richard said. Nicole glanced at her husband, and gave a sigh.

"We need to find a place to hide out." Tommy said.

"But where do we hide?" Richard asked.

"Someplace abandoned." Tommy said. "Do any of you guys know any buildings or warehouses that are abandoned?"

"There are some back in town." Anais said.

"Guys!" Darwin popped his head through the rear mirror, getting everyone's attention. "I know a place."

"Where?" Tommy asked.

"There's an old warehouse Carrie hangs out at, just a couple miles from here." Darwin said. "We should be safe there."

"Where is it?" Nicole asked.

"Just turn right up at the intersection, it'll lead us to it!" Darwin said.

"Ok." Nicole said, seeing the intersection up ahead. Slowing the truck down, she turned right, heading to the warehouse. Darwin sat back on the inside of the truck, giving a sigh. He looked up to see Mordecai holding Rigby in his arms. The poor raccoon looked like he was about to faint.

"Is he ok?" Darwin asked. Mordecai lifted his arm, seeing blood on the side of the sleeve that was covering Rigby's wound which was still bleeding.

"He's losing blood." Mordecai said.

"Mordecai..." Rigby said. "I think I'm gonna clock out."

"Don't say that Rigby." Mordecai said. "The cut's not deep. You're gonna be fine."

"Mordecai?" Rigby asked.

"Yeah dude?" Mordecai asked.

"Can you tell Eileen... can you tell her... that I..." Rigby said.

"Sure... I'll tell her." Mordecai said. "Though I don't know how we're gonna do that, given the fact that we're being hunted by a bunch of guys with guns though." Gumball on the other hand, was looking at the broken shard of the mirror that was in the truck, and glancing at his own forehead. The bullet wound was completely gone. He was surprised himself that he wasn't killed. He was shot in the head for god's sake, and he survived. Could it be that his strange powers has given him some kind of invincibility? Even from death? Turning his head, he saw Aelita sitting still, staring at the floor in a daze.

"Aelita?" Gumball asked, touching her shoulder, causing her to jolt. Turning her head, she saw the blue cat, worried.

"Are you ok?" He asked. The girl didn't give an answer. Her eyes were showing trauma, which was all that there was. She had witnessed so much. Seeing her dear friend get shot in the head, which brought back the memories of seeing her old friends dying in front of her. The blue cat pulled her into a hug, stroking her head. The girl then wrapped her arms around him tightly, nuzzling his head. Tears were dripping from her eyes.

"It's going to be ok." Gumball said. "It's going to be ok." The two continued their hug, which brought the attention of Darwin, Mordecai, and Rigby.

"Is she Gumball's new girlfriend?" Mordecai asked.

"Dude... now's not the time for questions." Darwin said.

* * *

**2!**

**Well, that was some chapter, wasn't it? This is probably the longest chapter that I've written so far. That may change in the future.**

**RIP Benson and Felicity. Never really liked them that much... And of course to the Hydra Force soldiers who lost their lives... you know what, screw them, they were the bad guys.**

**This chapter was influenced by the chase scene from Transformers: Age of Extinction, where Cade, Tessa, Shane, and TJ Miller were outrunning Cemetary Wind, while Optimus Prime and Lockdown were having a little brawl. Yes, I like the Transformers films. They have good action scenes. Cemetary Wind also inspired Hydra Force.**

**And regards to Dodj or Daar, I know how the game works, but in this story, the game doesn't bend reality like in Season 2, and it's more of a chance thing and has more elements from Season 1 (which is more light-hearted).**

**Next chapter there's gonna be drama as the Wattersons and their friends try to figure out what to do next. Then we'll be one step closer to officially uniting the heroes together.**

**Japanese Translations:**

**Must... Kill! / マスト...キル! / Masuto... Kiru!**

**Plasma Ball / プラズマボール/ Purazumabōru**


	16. Chapter 16: Hiding Out

**And here's chapter sixteen. A lot of drama in this chapter. The identity of the one who gave up the Wattersons will be revealed, and the family will be torn apart. The Dark Phoenix also think of another way to take them out and capture their prize.. or prizes.**

* * *

_**Chapter 16: Hiding Out**_

The old abandoned warehouse just up north of Elmore. Probably one of the most abandoned areas in the entire town, despite it being out of town. Inside, Carrie was meditating. With her being a emo gothic ghost girl, she has the ability to contact with spirits from the great beyond. Her recent contact was a ghost who kept talking about his sister's baby for about three hours... boring.

However, her meditation was interrupted by the sound of a vehicle outside. Turning her head, she saw something move up to the warehouse. She flew out to see what was out there. She saw the Subaru Sambar coming to a full stop. The ghost girl looked suspiciously at the Subaru. The engine turned off, and from the back of the covered hood, Mordecai, holding Rigby, got out first, followed by Darwin, Gumball and Aelita. Carrie's eyes widened, seeing dirt on Darwin's face.

"Oh my gosh!" Carrie spoke. "Darwin!" She flew over to hug the fish with legs. "What happened?! Are you ok?"

"Physically yes." Darwin said. "Mentally... I don't think so." The ghost girl looked past her boyfriend to see Nicole, Richard, Anais, and Tommy coming out from the front of the car.

"What happened?" Carrie asked.

"Those guys Aelita told us about... they found us." Darwin said. The ghost girl's eyes widened with surprise.

"How?" She asked.

"We don't know." Gumball said. "They just found us."

"Well, at least you're all safe." Carrie said, then turned her gaze to the Tommy. "Who's the blonde kid?"

"Tommy." He said. "Tommy Turn-"

"Wait." Carrie said, then leaned in to stare at the boy. For a few seconds, she looked at him from bottom to top, then spoke.

"You're a friend of Aelita's, aren't you." She said, with the blonde boy greatly surprised.

"How did you...?" Tommy asked.

"A ghost knows." Carrie said. Then there was a sound in the background coming from the sky. Their attention was turned to the massive robot approaching the area. To everyone's relief, it was Robotboy, still in super activated mode. Only that his left arm was gone. As he made his descent to the ground, the blonde boy approached him.

"Robotboy!" Tommy said with relief. "You made it!" The tall robot glanced at the boy, then back at the others. But his eyes widened as he had his sights on Gumball, it's sensory activating.

**SHADOW-MUTANT DETECTED**

**MUST DESTROY**

In an instant, Robotboy raised his rocket gun up, ready to fire at the blue cat.

"Ahhh!" Gumball shouted as it's sensor locked onto his head.

"No, Stop!" Nicole, Richard, and Darwin shouted, shielding in front of Gumball. Tommy quickly noticed this.

"No no no no no no no!" Tommy said, raising his hands up in front of Robotboy. "Robotboy No! No! Don't shoot! Don't shoot, alright?" The robot glanced at the boy, then at the blue cat, then back at the boy, all confused.

"Robotboy, it's alright..." Tommy said as he approached the robot. "The blue Shadow-mutant cat is friendly. Do not hurt him. And don't get him angry either. Understand?" The tall robot looked at his friend, then at the blue cat, then at his friend. Giving a nod, he lowered his weapon. Then he shrunk down, back to his usual small self.

"Ok Tommy." Robotboy said. The others gave a sigh of relief.

"You alright Ro?" Tommy asked.

"Yes, Robotboy ok, but Robotboy's arm... blew off." The robot said, showing his detached arm.

"Oh man." Tommy said as the robot gave it to him. "That freak ripped your arm off?"

"Yes." Robotboy said. "Bad men hurt Tommy?"

"Nah, I'm good." Tommy said. "A little scraped but not so bad."

"Good Tommy." Robotboy said. "But Robotboy's battery nearly low."

"Uh oh." Tommy said. "We better find a place for you to charge up." He then looked at Carrie. "Is there a power outlet that's functional?"

"Yeah, there's one near one of the cylinder's." Carrie said. "The place is recently abandoned, but it still has power."

"Good." Tommy said. "C'mon Ro, let's get you fixed up." Taking his friend over his shoulder, the boy headed inside the warehouse. Carrie then turned back to the fish.

"Is he a good guy?" Carrie asked.

"Yeah, though he chopped Gumball's arm off." Darwin said. The ghost girl examined Gumball, only to find his arm unharmed.

"But why does he still have an arm?" Carrie asked.

"It grew back." Darwin said. "Pretty cool, right?"

"It grew back?" Carrie asked. "That is cool."

"Hey ghost girl!" Mordecai said, holding his friend Rigby in his arms. "You got any medical stuff in there? My friend's hurt, looks like he's about to pass out." Rigby was still in Mordecai's arms, giving moans of dizziness, most likely due to the amount of blood he was losing from his forehead.

"Yeah, and we should probably clean his wound too." Carrie said, then glanced at the cut. "What happened?"

"Some guy with a freaky metal arm threw a ninja star and nearly cut Rigby's head off." Mordecai said.

"Whoa..." Carrie said. "Dark..."

"Ok everyone." Nicole said, getting their attention. "Let's get inside. We should be safe for a while." The group began to head inside.

"How did this happen?" Darwin asked.

"I don't know." Nicole said.

"Will we ever get back home?" Gumball asked.

"I don't know." Nicole said more firmly.

"What about our house?" Richard asked. "It's gone!"

"I DON'T KNOW!" Nicole shouted. Her voice was so loud, it made Gumball, Darwin, Anais, and Richard cringe a bit. Mordecai and Rigby clung onto each other, a bit terrified themselves. Seeing her family terrified, she quickly took hold of herself and took a deep breath. They're already in enough emotional distress, so she didn't want to make it worse.

"Let's just stay here for now, and we'll figure it out later, ok?" Nicole said calmly, as the others gave a nod. "Good..." She let out a sigh.

"I'm sorry..." The voice got their attention, where Aelita was standing there, facing the ground. Everyone could tell that there was severe guilt in both her face and her eyes, and the tears were present. "I'm... I'm so sorry..." She tried to keep it in, but her tears began to seep out. Nicole looked at the girl and gave a sigh. She approached her, and gave her a hug, as the girl cried into her shoulder.

"Aelita, it's ok." Nicole said. "None of this is your fault. Do not blame yourself, ok? You're safe, and that's all that matters." The girl still continued to cry, and hugged the mama cat. She kept apologizing and apologizing, and Nicole hugged her still, stroking the girl's hair in comfort.

"Come on, let's get inside." Nicole said. "We should be safe for a while." The girl gave a nod, and the two headed inside together, with Gumball following suit.

"So now what?" Carrie asked.

"We're pretty much fugitives now." Darwin said.

"We're fugitives? Awesome..." Rigby moaned with a smile.

"Dude, it's not awesome." Mordecai said. "That means we could go to jail!"

"Yeah, but it sounds so rad!" Rigby said, trying to stay awake. "I say I'd make a good fugitive." That only gave Rigby a flick on his nose. "Ow."

"C'mon man, let's just go inside." The blue jay responded as he followed Gumball into the warehouse with Rigby still in tow.

"This is horrible." Richard said. "We lost our home, our car, and everything."

"Who could've done this to us?" Darwin asked. Anais only stood there, looking at her family. Her eyes were a bit conflicting to tell. Was it guilt, or was it nervousness? She gave a sigh and followed them in.

* * *

"I hope you're happy with yourself." Those words were not what Drex had hoped to hear from the hologram of Wallace Breen as he knelt on one knee. "You had her right in your grasps, and you let her slip from you!"

"I was close sir." Drex said. "I was very close."

"Well very close is not enough!" Wallace said. "Not only have you allowed her to escape, but you also allowed the family harboring her to escape as well! And you also failed to give the fact that the blue cat boy is a Shadowkan himself!"

"I was not aware that he was a Shadowkan Hybrid." Drex said. "The sensor picked him up before we departed. He seems to be aware of his powers, though he doesn't seem to be fully aware of what he is, and he lacks control of his rage."

"And yet he managed to best you." Wallace continued. "He and some... wild animals managed to outsmart you!"

"They threw me off balance, and that robot got in the way." Drex said.

"What Robot?!" Wallace asked.

"Professor Moshimo's killing machine, that's what!" Drex said. "The robot and that blonde kid were at the scene! They were helping the Wattersons get away!"

"That does not matter!" Wallace said. "I asked you to complete your task! And yet you failed!... You are the fucking Hydra Force for damn's sake! You are suppose to be the best at what you do! You are the Dark Phoenix's elite troops! And you got beaten by some... dysfunctional happy family!" Wallace only got angry, so angry that he picked up what appeared to be a cup from his table and threw it, with a loud cracking sound after the throw, showing that the cup must've hit a wall. Drex only knelt there, but then an idea came to his head.

"I will not fail this time sir." Drex said.

"How can you be certain of that?" Wallace asked.

"I have an idea that may work." Drex said as he rose up. "With your permission sir, perhaps we should show them the full extent of the Dark Phoenix..."

"I'm listening..." Wallace spoke.

"We also checked the remains of their house sir." Drex said. "We found something interesting in their little closet."

"If it's another sexual toy, I do not even wanna-" Wallace said.

"No, it was a stack that had weapons on it, or used to have weapons on it." Drex said. "They were the property of the Space Police Delta." Drex said. "It seems that one of the family members used to work with them. Probably the mother."

"And?" Wallace asked.

"And her oldest son is a Shadow-Kaijin, but yet he's very different." Drex said. "He has abilities that make him impossible to kill. Not even a bullet to the head can take his life. What about squaring him off with another one of his kind?"

"I don't understand." Wallace said.

"Let me explain." Drex said. "You see, if you want to catch a criminal, you send a criminal. If you want to capture a spy, you send a spy. If you want to find a child, you send a child-"

"Speak english you fool." Wallace said. "Quoting Spy-Kids is not getting anywhere."

"Then this will." Drex said. "If we want to find a Shadow-Kaijin, we send a Shadow-Kaijin..." Wallace then began thinking. Drex raised a good point. From all the Shadowkan they have captured, they have learned that Shadowkan have a good way of tracking down their enemies, even one of their own.

"That's brilliant." Wallace said. "But how are you going to move forward with this? The ones we made are not... perfected yet."

"We don't need one of the failed experiments." Drex said. "Perhaps a real Shadowkan could work." Wallace looked at Drex with a raised eyebrow.

"A real Shadowkan?" Wallace asked. "How will you pull it off? No way they would work for us."

"I have someone in mind." Drex said. "There's one Shadowkan that has always escaped our forces whenever we close in on him. Perhaps we can persuade him."

"Go on..." Wallace said.

* * *

Watching from the warehouse balcony, Gumball was keeping a watchful eye, for any sign of the those Hydra Freaks. So many thoughts were going on in the cat's head. Who was that man? The man that was sent to capture Aelita. And what he said to him... that he was a monster... He said something else aside from that. That he was a hybrid of a Shadowkan? What was a Shadowkan? Was he one of those Shadowkan? He can't be, because he's a cat. Then again, he did have those mysterious mutant demonic features, such as the claws, the wings, and the black and yellow eyes. Before he could think more on it, he was pulled out of his thoughts by Rigby's scream.

"GAAAAARRGHAHAAAA!" The echoes of the raccoon screamed in the warehouse. Turning his head, he saw Rigby, twitching a bit in pain, as Carrie was performing a magical surgical procedure on him. She first had to clean his cut with a cleanig spell, and now she was sewing his forehead up to close the wound. Mordecai only held him down, and it was a bit painful to watch his friend going through this. Fortunately for both of them, Carrie finished up, cutting the thread that kept his wound closed up.

"There, I'm done." Carrie said.

"Aaahhhhhhwwww!" Rigby shouted, touching the side of his head. "That hurt... that friggin' hurt, you paranormal bitch!"

"Don't worry dude, it's over." Mordecai said. "Here, let me bandage you up." Taking the medical tape, he wrapped it around Rigby's head. The raccoon was very greatful that that freak with the metal arm didn't mess up his face.

"Why did we have to do this while I was awake?" Rigby asked.

"I was thinking about knocking you out, but it was funny seeing you scream like that." Carrie said.

"Bitch..." Rigby said.

"Dude, Gumball's right next to us." Mordecai whispered.

"It's fine dude." Gumball said. "I've heard mom curse up and down when she was searching for a parking space." Speaking of mom, he turned to go find her. Coming down the stairway, he saw Tommy, fixing up Robotboy's arm.

"There we go." Tommy said, finishing screwing in the robot's arm into it's socket.

"Robotboy feel good!" Robotboy said as he flew up and moved his arm, good as new. The blonde boy gave a smile, happy to see Robotboy fixed up.

"Ahem..." The sound got the boy's attention, turning to see Nicole, her back leaning against the pillar, with her arms crossed, and her eyes squinted in anger.

"I suppose you're here to thank us for saving you?" Tommy asked. The mama cat didn't change her face. "I guess not."

"You sir... had a lot of nerve attacking my son like that." Nicole said in a low voice, approaching him slowly.

"Oh yeah... about that." Tommy said.

"Don't... even... start." Nicole said. "Now you got ten seconds to tell me right now who are you, what the hell you're doing, and how you know Aelita. Or, I kick your ass and throw you outside." Tommy was taken back by this, but he too gave a face of suspicion.

"Do you want the long version or the short version?" Tommy asked. "Though the long version will take more than ten seconds."

"Just answer the question..." Nicole said, unaware of Gumball, Darwin, Anais, and Richard watching the scene.

"Okay... my name is Tommy Turnbull, son of Dwight and Debbie Turnbull. I lived in San Francisco my whole live until three years ago until last year I found out from a good friend that Aelita was alive, and I spent the whole time finding her and searching for other people that are very important to me." Tommy said.

"And you're... Aelita's friend?" Nicole asked.

"Yes." Tommy said.

"Do you have proof?" Nicole asked. The boy halted on his words.

"No, but I've known her most of my life." Tommy said. "She used to look after me when my parents and brother were out. She and her dad disappeared and we moved to California to start a new life." The mama cat stared at the boy with a glare.

"What about your family?" Nicole asked. "Don't you think they're worried sick?"

"For your information, my family are scum, well except my grandma, she's a real sweet heart, but she passed away two years ago." Tommy said. "But my parents however, My dad barely gives a crap about me, my brother hates me, and my mom is in jail. But when I see them again, I'll ask them."

"Well how did you know that Aelita was here?" Nicole asked.

"I didn't... until yesterday when I saw her in the mall with your son." Tommy said. "I wanted to talk with her, but she was on a date, so I decided to wait until today." Gumball blushed as he heard the last sentence. Nicole then took a deep breath, and gave a smile, though she was still giving a glare.

"Ok, I'm glad to hear that." Nicole said. "Now, time for my favorite part."

"Um... mom-" Gumball said, knowing what was about to happen.

"Gummypuss not now, I'm going to interrogating this boy who tried to kill you, ok?" Nicole said. "Alright then." She dropped the smile, then she grabbed Tommy by the shirt, and slammed him to the wall behind him, while she was still holding him.

"OW!" Tommy shouted.

"Why were you trying to kill my son?!" She asked.

"I'm sorry, he's a Shadowkan!" Tommy said. Nicole's eyes widened by the word the boy spoke. She hadn't heard that word in fourteen years.

"What did you say?!" Nicole asked.

"I said he's a Shadowkan!" Tommy said, keeping his cool. "The monsters from a different dimension. I've seen what they do. Their violent, hideous freaks who want nothing but to take over our world."

"How do you know about the Shadowkan?!" Nicole asked. "Are... are you wth the SPD?"

"No." Tommy said in confusion.

"The SPD?" Gumball asked. "What's that?"

"Gummypuss, Not Now!" Nicole said. "How do you know about the Shadowkan?"

"Dr. Otomo Kamikazi tried to use them for his personal army, but Robotboy and I destroyed his portal three years ago! Some of them weren't sent back home and managed to hide out in San Francisco. I've seen what they're capable of. They slaughter people, they capture people, they rape people and use them to repopulate their kind. My friend was taken by them. She's probably suffering that fate and I'll never see her again. They're monsters!" Nicole slammed Tommy against the wall, still holding her grip on him.

"My son... Is Not a Monster!" Nicole shouted, her eyes burning fire with rage. She raised her fist to punch him.

"Hey!" Her arm was then grabbed by Robotboy, who held on tightly to prevent her from striking his friend. Nicole was strong, but Robotboy was even stronger.

"You hurt Tommy, Robotboy Hurt You Back!" Robotboy spoke, his eyes turning red.

"Don't worry Ro, she wouldn't dare hurt me in front of her own kids." Tommy said.

"Oh yeah? Try Me!" Nicole said.

"MOM!" Gumball shouted, making the mama turn her head, seeing him, Anais, Darwin, and Richard standing there. But her gaze was on Gumball, who was listening to their conversation.

"Mom, put him down." Gumball said. "Please." Seeing her son, she then turned back to the blonde boy. Taking a deep breath, she lowered him to the ground, back on his feet.

"Thank you." Tommy said.

"I didn't let you go for you." Nicole said. "And please tell your robot to let me go." She was right, for her arm was still held by Robotboy.

"Robotboy, let her go." Tommy said. On command, the robot released the mama cat's arm.

"Thank you..." Nicole said to the robot in a calm manner. Gumball then approached his mom.

"Mom?" Gumball asked, getting her attention. "Is what he said true? Am I... a monster?" Nicole bit her lip, not wanting to answer the question. But there was no hiding it anymore. Those mercenaries said it, the boy said it. She sighed.

"Honey... you're not a monster." Nicole said. "You're... a Shadowkan."

"Shadowkan... are they what he just described?" He asked, pointing at Tommy.

"Yes." Nicole said in defeat. The blue cat glanced at the floor, trying to process this in his head.

"So... does this mean... I'm not your son?" Gumball asked.

"No, don't think that honey." Nicole said as she leaned in and caressed Gumball's hands. "You are my son, honey. I gave birth to you."

"Then why am I... a hybrid?" Gumball asked. "Why am I a hybrid?" Nicole wanted to tell him, but how could he understand.

"It's... it's just complicated to explain." Nicole said. "But you are my son. Your father will always be your father, and I will always be your mother. You have to believe me." Gumball looked at Nicole, the cat who raised him. Looking into her eyes, he knew that she was telling the truth. He could feel it. The connection between them. That connection a child would feel with their mother and father. It was still there, the proof that he was truly her son. He took a deep breath.

"I believe you." Gumball said, making the mama cat smile. "Just promise me... that I won't become a monster."

"I promise, honey." Nicole said. "I promise." He then pulled her into a hug, nuzzling against her. The mama cat wrapped her arms around her, giving him a peck on the forehead.

"Dude!" Rigby's voice calling from the stairway.

"Rigby, Come Back Here!" Mordecai shouted as he and Carrie were chasing the raccoon down the stairway.

"Hey guys!" Rigby spoke. "Check it out! We're wanted people!" He held up his cellphone, showing wanted pictures of the Wattersons, Mordecai, and himself.

"What?!" Nicole asked.

"Yeah, they just sent out a warning that we're wanted for conspiracy!" Rigby said. "Man this looks so good! I gotta text Eileen about this-"

"Dude!" Gumball shouted as he grabbed Rigby's cellphone and smashed it to bits.

"NOOOO!" Rigby shouted. "That was a new phone!"

"Dude, you can't just keep a cellphone with you!" Gumball shouted.

"Why not?!" Rigby asked.

"Because they can track us!" Gumball said.

"What?!" Rigby asked.

"Yeah, that's what I've been trying to tell you." Mordecai said. "Government agencies can track us through cellphones!"

"WHAT?!" Rigby asked. "They can track us?!"

"Guys, it's alright." Nicole said. "But he has a point. Those guys can track us. We're lucky we didn't get compromised."

"But then... how'd they find you guys?" Mordecai asked.

"Yeah, they found your house." Rigby said. "How'd they managed to know where you were? And how they'd know you were keeping Gumball's girlfriend in your house."

"Dude, it's not official yet!" Gumball spoke quickly, his cheeks turned red. "But he's right, somebody must've told them." He then glared at Richard, who looked at him back.

"What?" Richard asked.

"Was it you dad?" Gumball asked.

"WHAT?!" Richard asked. "How could you accuse me of such things?!"

"Oh c'mon Dad!" Gumball shouted. "You were the one who delivered Pizza to them!"

"You know I would never betray this family!" Richard said. "Sure I get us into crazy disastrous events, but I would never sell my own family out! Besides, I didn't even know they had guns!"

"He's right dude, Mr. Dad wouldn't do something like that." Darwin said. "He was happy Aelita was staying with us."

"Then it was probably you!" Gumball said. The fish with legs gave a gasp.

"What?!" Darwin asked. "Why are you accusing me?!"

"Maybe because you were jealous that I was spending more time with Aelita!" Gumball said.

"Dude, I would never do that!" Darwin said. "Besides, I have no grudge against Aelita. She's like the sister I always wanted!"

"He's telling the truth!" Carrie said.

"How would you know?!" Gumball asked.

"Because, a Ghost knows when one is lying." Carrie said. "I know Darwin isn't lying! I even read his mind!"

"Wait, you read my mind?" Darwin asked.

"Well, yeah, not all the time though." Carrie said showing blush.

"Well somebody had to call them!" Gumball said.

"Gumball stop accusing everybody!" Nicole said. The blue teen cat gave a sigh, taking a couple of deep breaths.

"I'm sorry mom." Gumball said. "It's just... I promised Aelita that I would protect her. Those guys, they tried to kill us, and I was almost killed!"

"I know sweetie." Nicole said. "And you did protect her. You fought off those guys to allow us to escape. But I'm sure that Darwin nor your father would do such a thing, though they're aren't technically the bright ones."

"She's got a good point." Carrie said. "Those guys knew exactly where you lived. And besides, Darwin and your dad are too witless to give information like that... No offense, sweetie."

"None taken." Darwin said. "You're right on the butt on that."

"Spot." Carrie said.

"Yeah, what you said." The fish said.

"But then, how did they find us?!" Gumball asked.

"Hmmm..." Nicole began thinking. "Somebody had to tip them off!"

"It seems whoever called them had to know a lot about where we lived." Darwin said.

"Somebody who knew we were having her live in our house." Richard said.

"You mean somebody who hates Gumball's new girlfriend." Mordecai said.

"Somebody who is smarter than all of us combined." Rigby said. There was a moment of silence as everyone began thinking, until someone spoke up.

"Alright, It was ME!" Everyone turned to see Anais, who spoke those words. They all froze, with surprise slowly coming to their faces at what the bunny said.

"Wh... What?" Gumball asked.

"Anais... what did you do?" Nicole asked. The pink bunny gave a defeated sigh.

"It was me!" She said. "I'm the one who called those guys! While she was staying with us I did some research on her and found the stuff about her father and his illegal activites! And... I looked up the people who were after her... and... called them." Everyone stood still, unable to find the words to speak. Nicole was shocked by what she heard. Anais, the smart one in the whole family, her own daughter, sold them out?

"What the hell is wrong with you!" Tommy's voice as he got up from the box he was sitting on. "Do you have any idea what those guys were capable of?! Don't you realize you almost got every-"

"Dude." Gumball said, placing his finger on the boy's mouth. "Let me handle this." The blue cat stepped forward and took a deep breath.

"WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!" Gumball shouted at the pink litte bunny. "What did she ever do to you?!"

"Gumball, you heard her yourself!" Anais said. "Her dad betrayed the government!"

"Ok, first off Anais, it wasn't the government, it was a Secret Militia Group who wanted to take over the world!" Gumball said. "And secondly, her dad didn't betray them, they betrayed him!"

"It doesn't matter who did what!" Anais said. "They would've found us anyway! We could've gone to jail for keeping her in our house! She is a fugitive!"

"They made her a fugitive!" Gumball said. "She wasn't a threat to anybody! Do you not know what she'd been through?! Her mother was taken away from her when she was little. She was trapped inside a computer for almost 10 years. She lost her father. Her friends got killed trying to protect her and keep her old life a secret. Those monsters kidnapped her and did horrible experiments on her! They knocked her up with a baby for god's sake! She had been on the streets for a long, long time, enduring so much that no one her age should be going through, and the worse part is, her entire life was taken away from her!" Anais only looked away, feeling little guilt for what Aelita has been through.

"Sure, looking away like you don't care." Gumball said.

"I do care Gumball!' Anais said.

"Then you shouldn't have called those people in the first place!" Gumball said. "I mean, did you see what they did to me?! I got shot in the head! I could've died! We all could've died!"

"He's right." The blue cat and his sister looked to their mom, with Anais surprised.

"What?!" Anais asked. "Did you just say he's right?!"

"Yes I did." Nicole said. "As much as I hate to admit it and I know I'm regretting saying this, but Gumball is Right. And as for you young lady, that was a very stupid thing to do."

"Wait wait wait wait wait." Gumball said. "Did you just say that I'm right?"

"I do hate to admit it, but yes, yes you are Gumball." Nicole said. The blue cat quickly gasped upon hearing that. All the times that he would embarrass and disappoint his mother, he actually heard words of praise from his mom. He took in a deep breath.

"HA HA!" Gumball said pointing to Anais. "Mom said that I was right!" Anais only growled.

"Seriously?" Anais asked. "We're being hunted down by mercenaries and you rub that in my face?"

"C'mon, I've been dying to hear Mom say that I was right at least once in my life." Gumball said.

"Gah, Why do you always have to be so... so... Stupid?!" Anais shouted.

"Anais, don't call your brother that!" Nicole said.

"What?!" Anais asked. "Why are you taking his side?! He's the third dumb one in this family! He brought in some random stranger that could've robbed us!"

"Anais, she's just a young girl." Nicole said. "Sure it was kinda... obtuse for Gumball to take in a complete stranger, but he is right that we should help people in their darkest times. I will admit, I was skeptical when Gumball brought her to our home, but after learning who she was and what she'd been through, I wanted her to stay with us. And besides, you heard her story. She lost her friends and family to some crazy psychos and what not. She has no other family to go back to. Plus, what you did Anais was completely selfish. I was hoping you'd be the more mature one, but I guess I was wrong." Anais felt hurt when she heard that. She actually disappointed her mother, the woman that she praised and loved so much. It felt like her heart was cracking.

"Well... maybe I wouldn't have if you didn't call that little bitch the daughter you always wanted!" Anais shouted. Everyone gasped.

"Anais, Language!" Richard said.

"Wh... What?" Nicole asked surprised.

"I heard what you called her Mom!" Anais said, turning her attention back to the mother cat. "You called that homeless slut the daughter you never had, the daughter that you always wanted! What about me? Huh? I did everything in my power to make you proud! But yet, what I do is never enough for you!"

"Anais, you know that's not true." Nicole said. "I never expect too much from you-"

"Then why?!" Anais asked. "Why were willing to spend time with that... that french whore instead of me?! Is it because I'm too smart for you?! Is it because I'm boring now?!" Everyone was even more shocked to hear Anais say such horrible words.

"Whoa... and I thought your mom was the crazy one." Carrie said.

"You... You didn't call them because you thought she was a fugitive... you called them because you were jealous!" Gumball shouted to the bunny.

"You want me to admit?" Anais asked. "Yes, I am jealous! I hate that little skank ever since I met her! And I hate her even more for locking her dirty lips with you in the park!" Gumball froze up, hearing what she said. How did she know he and Aelita kissed?... unless.

"Wait... when I took Aelita to the mall, you snuck out of the house and followed us?!" Gumball asked.

"Of course I did!" Anais shouted, which Nicole and Richard gasped. "Because I didn't want her to take you away! I spent the whole time trying to sabotage your date, but I kept getting stopped by some adults who treat me like a... fucking baby!" Everyone gasped, hearing the bunny curse in front of them.

"Wow, if my phone was still working I would've recorded this." Rigby said, with Mordecai shaking his head with sigh.

"Wait a second." Gumball said. "Did you switch our drinks with chocolate milk instead of water?"

"No!" Anais shouted. "I placed Ipecac Syrup into the chocolate milk to make her vomit all that cake you two ate, but it was given to someone else! I also tried to whack her with one of the big whack-a-mole mallets while you two were in the Arcade! And I used a wolf horn to scare her and call pack a wolves to eat her alive! It was going so well until that tentacle monster showed up and tried to sufficate me! And then I see you two smooching in the park... That should've been me kissing you in the park! Not Her! I did all that because I loved you and wanted to protect you, and instead you gave your love and attention to that stupid, fucking, knocked up slut!" The bunny then started to pant, breathing in and out. Hearing her explaining how she was trying to ruin Gumball and Aelita's date, and trying to violently hurt the latter in the process, and of course Anais's sudden obsession with her brother made the whole family drop their mouths open.

"W... what just happened?" Gumball asked.

"I think Anais has a crush on you or something, and she's acting like a yandere." Darwin whispered to the blue cat, who gasped, and started to gag in a bit of disgust, with Darwin also gagging. Whenever Gumball would gag, Darwin would gag with him.

"Anais Elizabeth Watterson..." Nicole said. "I... I can't believe... I..." She couldn't think of anything to say, seeing how wicked her daughter truly was.

"Don't worry, honey." Richard said. "I know what will fix this. She just needs a hug. Come here little girl-" He approached the little bunny to give his daughter a hug, but then, she moved her head forward and bit his hand.

"OW!" He shouted, holding his wounded hand. "She bit me!"

"Anais, what is wrong with you?!" Nicole asked. "He's your father!"

"Because, he was treating me like a child!" Anais shouted. "And I'm sick of people treating me like a child!"

"But you are a child-" Darwin said.

"Shut up you retarded scaly abomination!" The Bunny hissed at the fish, making him gasp. The fish with legs began to tear up, and he began to cry. He hugged Carrie who started to comfort him.

"Dude, why did you have to do that?" Carrie asked.

"Because, he's so stupid, that's what!" Anais shouted. "This whole family is stupid! They don't even care what kind of danger we're even placed in!" Gumball looked at the bunny and shook his head.

"Well, it looks like we now know what kind of a person you are, Anais." Gumball said. "Not only did you try to get Aelita killed, you brought those bastards just to get rid of her, and nearly got us all killed in the process! Do you even realize what you've become Anais? You're a very naughty selfish brat!"

"You know what, yes, I'm a selfish little brat." Anais said. "At least _I_ can admit that, unlike _you_."

"What does that suppose to mean?" Gumball asked.

"You know what I'm talking about!" Anais said. "Even when you try to be good you always get us in trouble! Every little thing you do ends up inadvertably getting all of us in harm's way! You say you try to help people, but the only one you try to help is yourself! When something bad happens you pin it on someone else!

"No I don't!" Gumball said, but then he started to think. "Do I?"

"Well, you did kinda set Jamie up to take the blame for how Clayton inadvertably knock Tobias out." Darwin said.

"Ok, you got a point there, but we didn't think that he was really gonna do it." Gumball said. "And besides, Clayton was just doing those weird hand movements or something."

"Yeah, I suppose." Darwin said.

"This is what I'm talking about!" Anais shouted. "You always find a loophole so you can get out of trouble!"

"Well, at least we admit we did something wrong when there's no loophole!" Gumball said. "But what you did was getting us killed!

"I may have nearly got us killed, but not as many times as you had in the past few years!" Anais said. "You put us, and so many people in life-ending situations when you yourself don't even realize the gravity of it. I don't even see why Penny even dated you!" Gumball gasped.

"You leave Penny out of this!" Gumball shouted.

"Why?" Anais asked. "You're the reason why she's dead in the first place." Gumball's eyes widened with shock, but then angry slowly began to seep in.

"Take... That... Back!" Gumball said.

"No..." Anais said. "You just can't face the reality, Gumball. Penny's dead because of _you_." That was a bad idea on Anais' part. Gumball began twitching upon hearing those words. Suddenly, his eyes began to vert to black, with his pupils glowing yellow, and his teeth began to sharpen, and his claws grew.

"GEEEEAAAAAARRGH!" He shouted as he leaped forward to attack the young bunny.

"Gumball, No!" Darwin shouted as he grabbed a hold of Gumball's tail, preventing him from getting any closer. "Gumball, it's not worth it! She's family!"

"I'll Kill You!" Gumball shouted. "I'll rip you apart you ungrateful selfish little brat!"

"Gumball Watterson, Stop!" Nicole shouted, slamming her foot down, the sudden sound from her foot made Gumball freeze in place, long enough for Darwin to jump in and hug him tightly. The blue cat tried to break free, but the fish kept whispering shhhhhh to him.

"Gumball... just relax... breathe... breathe..." Darwin said, petting his cat brother, who then slowed his breathing down and calmed down, his eyes reverting back to normal, and his claws and teeth switching back as well.

"You ok?" Darwin asked.

"Yeah, I'm ok." Gumball said. Seeing her son finally calmed down, Nicole took a breath.

"Look, what happened doesn't matter now." Nicole said. "What's more important is that we stop fighting amongst ourselves. Gumball, Anais, apologize to each other now." The blue cat only gave a groan.

"Fine." Gumball said. "Anais, I'm sorry..." He reluctantly extended his hand out as a sign of peace. The bunny looked at her brother and at his hand. She was about to shake his and, but the thoughts of neglection began to take her mind. Seeing how much Gumball gave his attention to Aelita only fueled the bunny's rage. She only gave an angry face.

"No." She said, surprising everyone, even Nicole.

"Anais... Apologize... Now!..." Nicole said.

"NO!" Anais shouted as she swatted Gumball's hand away. "I'm not gonna sharing blame here! I'm the victim in all of this!"

"How are you the victim?" Gumball asked. "Aelita didn't do anything to hurt you!"

"Well we wouldn't be in this mess if you hadn't brought her to our house in the first place!"

"I wanted to help her!" Gumball said. "She doesn't deserve to be alone in her time of need!"

"Then you're only dooming yourself!" Anais shouted. "Sometimes I wish that you were never my brother!"

"Well, that doesn't matter because I always hated you before you were even born!" Gumball shouted at the top of his lungs. Anais' eyes widened with shock, as Darwin, Nicole, Carrie, Tommy, and Richard gasped at what was said, while Robotboy tilted his head in confusion. The six year-old felt like an arrow just been shot right into her heart, shattering it to pieces. Tears began to fill up her eyes.

"Y..You never loved me?" Anais asked. A few moments passed until Gumball realized what he just said. He just said that he never wanted a sister in the first place. He began to look a way for a moment. Did he really just say that? Oh god, that wasn't suppose to come out.

"Anais, I didn't mean tha-" Gumball said.

"NO!" Anais shouted. "Just Shut Up! SHUT UP!" She looked up at him with broken tears and eyes.

"I hate you..." She muttered out the last three words, as Gumball was taken back at what she said. His little sister just said that she hated him. For Anais however, the sad broken feeling was now replaced with a growing rage.

"I Hate You." She said again. "I Hate You! I Hate You, I Hate You, I Hate You!" She then looked at her parents. "I Hate You, I Hate You!" Then she looked at Darwin. "And I definitely hate you!"

"Me?" Darwin asked. "What did I do? Is it because I accidently wore your panda shirt?"

"No, it's everything!" Anais said. "Nobody loves me! Nobody has ever loved me! I hate this family! I hate everything about this family! But you Gumball, you're the one I hate the most of all! I Hate, Hate, Hate, Hate, HATE YOU! I should've pushed you off that plank into the firey incinerator years ago! You know what, I hope they find you again, and I hope they do kill you for real next time! You'll pay...! YOU'LL ALL PAY!" With that said, the little girl ran for it, heading out the doors into the outdoors.

"Anais!" Richard called out as he picked up her Daisy the Donkey plushie and ran after her. "You Forgot Your Daisy Donkey Plushie!" Nicole, Carrie, Tommy, Mordecai, Rigby, and Darwin only stood there, as Gumball only slumped to his knees. Tears were forming in his eyes. The older cat approached her son, placing her hand on his shoulder.

"She didn't mean it Gumball." Nicole said.

"No." Gumball said. "She's right. She deserves someone better than me." Unable to fight back the tears, he began to cry. His mother wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a hug.

"I never meant what I said." Gumball sobbed. "It was just in the heat of the moment. God, I'm the worst brother ever."

"Gumball, that's not true." Nicole said. "We all say things we don't mean when we're angry."

"But she hates me... my own little sister hates me..." Gumball said. In a fit of sadness and anger, he pushes his mother away and runs to the other side of the warehouse, heading outside. Nicole reached out to call him, but he was already gone. The older cat only sighed in defeat, as tears in her eyes began to form. Darwin and Carrie looked at each other.

"I better go talk to him." Darwin said, chasing after his brother. Nicole sadly turned away and went to the upper floor. Carrie looked at Tommy, who was in shock himself.

"You ok?" Carrie asked.

"Not really." Tommy said. The boy leaned back into his seat, trying to take in what Gumball said about what Aelita had been through. He heard what the blue cat said. She lost her friends, was branded a fugitive, surviving on the streets, raped several times. Everything she went through, Tommy was struggling to get it out of his head. Carrie noticed the teen was about to cry.

"Tommy?" The voice got his attention. Lifting his head up to see Robotboy staring at him. "What wrong, Tommy?" The boy gave a sigh.

"Everything..." He said. "Aelita's been through a lot... and I didn't help her when she needed it." He lowered his head, trying to hide his tears. The robot then wrapped his arms around the boy, giving him comfort. The boy was a bit surprised, but was relieved to have his friend there when he needed him. Robotboy wouldn't understand what was going on, but he would still be here though. The boy wrapped his own arms around his robotic friend. Carrie watched with a weak smile. Mordecai and Rigby looked back at the directon where Anais ran off to.

"Wow... what a little bitch." Rigby said, only to slapped from behind by Mordecai. Nicole made her way up the stairs and as she got up. She leaned against the pillar next to her. She began to choke on her voice, as tears of distress began to drop. Her whole family has fallen apart. Learning how horrible Anais had become, the only person she could blame was herself. She made Anais feel unloved, and no doubt that she was going to those people right now. Nicole knew that her family was in danger. An idea came to her head. She rushed to the bag that had the weapons inside. She then unzipped it, dug through it and held up what seemed to be a watch. It was actually a wrist commmunicator, which people use to contact others. Taking a deep breath, trying to hold her sorrow, she clicked the button, and spoke into the receiver.

"This is Nicole Watterson... of the Space Police Delta..." Nicole said, her voice trembling. "This is a SOS... Please, send help... Please."

* * *

He didn't stop running as he made his way out of the warehouse, unable to get the anguish he was feeling right now. He couldn't believe what he said. He said he never loved his sister in the first place. How could he say that? To his little sister? Sure he was really against the idea when his mom told him years ago that he was gonna have a little sister, but right up to before she was born, Gumball saw the benefits of having a little sister, someone to spend quality time with, to play games with, and when she was born, even though she tried to kill him all those years ago, he still loved his little sister.

How could he be so stupid, saying to her face that he hated her before she even existed. He couldn't take it anymore. He dropped to his knees and began to cry. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid, he called himself. He wasn't a big brother. He was a terrible big brother. He kept crying until Darwin approached him.

"Hey... you ok?" Darwin asked.

"Yes, Darwin." Gumball said. "Everything's peachy." The fish was about to leave, but then he remembered. He needed to stop taking everything Gumball said literally. He turned back around and looked at his cat brother.

"No, everything's not peachy." Darwin said.

"Yes it is." Gumball said.

"No it's not." Darwin said. "I may not be smart, but I'm not a retard." He knelt down besides Gumball and stroked his fur. The blue cat continued to cry.

"Why did I say that?" Gumball asked. "Why did I say that I never loved Anais."

"You were just angry, Gumball." Darwin said. "Anger makes us say things that we don't technically mean. Though back then when mom told us she was gonna have a baby, you were against the idea." The blue cat gave the fish with legs a cold glare.

"That's not making me feel better!" Gumball said.

"I know, sorry." Darwin said, as the blue cat continue to shed tears.

"I really love Anais, Darwin." Gumball said. "You know, like a brother-sister way. The day she was born was the best thing that ever happened to me. Sure she tried to kill us many times when she was a month old, but who could blame her? Most babies born in the drive thru are always born bad."

"Yeah." Darwin said. "Mrs. Mom always told Mr. Dad that the drive thru was a bad idea. But I know you didn't mean to say that you didn't love her, Gumball. We both know you didn't mean it." The blue cat sniffed.

"You really think so?" Gumball asked.

"Yeah, she just needs to remember the good times we had together, that's all." Darwin said.

"But how can she?" Gumball asked. "I chased her away..." He continued to cry, as the fish with legs continued to stroke his fur. He then hugged him.

"It's going to be ok, bro." Darwin said. "You'll both make up. I just know it."

"I hope so." Gumball said.

"C'mon buddy." Darwin said as he helped his blue cat brother up. "Let's go back inside. Why don't you talk with Aelita? She's also in need of some comforting."

"Ok, I guess that-" Before Gumball could finish that sentence, hearing Aelita's name made him realize something. He didn't remember seeing her after going to talk to mom.

"Wait a second... where is Aelita?" Gumball asked, looking around. But then something caught his eye. He saw somebody running from the warehouse. It was Aelita.

"There she is." Darwin said.

"Aelita, Wait!" Gumball said, chasing after her. The girl kept running, ignoring his pleas. She just wanted to keep running. The blue cat however was able to keep up, and grab her hand.

"Aelita, wait!" Gumball said. "Where are you going?"

"Gumball, let go of me!" She said.

"But where are you doing?" He asked

"I have to go!" Aelita said. "I can't stay here!"

"What?!" Gumball asked. "But you can't go!"

"I have to!" Aelita said.

"No, don't go!" Gumball said.

"PLEASE, JUST LET ME GO!" She shouted, startling the blue cat. The girl only stared at the cat. But it wasn't a glare, it was a face of anguish, despair, and guilt. "Please..."

"Aelita." Gumball said.

"I put you all in enough danger as it is already." She said. "You lost everything because of me. You lost your home, your lives, and everything! You almost got killed. I saw what he did to you, and I can't get it out of my head! Your sister was right. This was all my fault. I've done nothing but bring bad luck on all of you! The only thing that I've been to you all was nothing but a terrible burden!" The blue cat widened his eyes at what she called herself.

"JUST STOP!" Gumball shouted, startling the girl. "Stop blaming yourself for everything that's happened! We chose to let you stay with us! We chose to take the risk! You've don't deserve to suffer anymore! Please, don't leave us! Don't leave me! I already lost Penny, I don't wanna lose you too!" The boy froze, realizing that he said... _her name_. Aelita stood frozen as well, as silence was all that there was. Letting go of her hands, the blue cat then turned around, walking away a few steps, and then knelt to the ground. Tears were starting to pour down his face. Then it began to link in Aelita's mind. Nicole had told her about a dear friend Gumball lost years ago. That must've been her.

"Your mother... mentioned a girl that you lost..." Aelita said. "That was her... was it?" The blue cat lowered his head, trying to hold back his tears.

"Please... please don't make me tell you..." Gumball said.

"Gumball... please tell me." Aelita said. "I've already told you about me... please tell me about her. I want to help you... like you helped me." The blue cat lifted his head up. She was right. He did help her this far, and now she wants to help him. He knew he had to tell her... about Penny.

"Have I ever told you... about Penny?" Gumball asked.

"No... no you didn't." Aelita said. The blue cat lowered his head.

"She was my friend... my girlfriend." Gumball said. "I loved her so much... and she loved me too. I don't know what it was about me that made her love me so much. But she did. She loved me for who I was... and I loved her for who she was. She... she was everything to me..." The girl then approached him.

"What happened?" Aelita asked. The blue cat lifted his head, tears forming in his eyes.

"She... There was reports of a monster from the Forest of Doom." Gumball began. "But it managed to get to our town. We were going to Elmore Cinema to see a romantic flick, but then... The monster showed up. And I... being an idiot tried to take it on to look good in front of Penny. But it pinned me into a corner, and it lashed at me. Penny jumped in, and..."

_"GUMBALL, LOOK OUT! GAAAAHHH!"_

_"PENNY!"_

"It held her on the floor... and it... It forced itself on her. I tried to do something... but it stabbed me with a blade, and it pinned me into a wall. All I did was cough up blood, as I watched helplessly... as it... GAAAAAHHH!" He let out a scream of anguish, and slammed his fists into the ground. The dam had broken, and tears began to pour from Gumball's eyes as he cried.

"When I came to, I saw the beast dead, and she was on the floor..." He wailed. "She died right in my arms! It... It was all my fault! She died because of my stupidity! She didn't deserve to die! It should've been me! It should've been me! IT SHOULD'VE BEEN ME!" He slammed his hands onto the floor, unaware that they shifted into his mutant claws. As his fist hit the surface, the ground crumbled up in front of him, leaving nothing but a large crack. He lowered his head in shame, unable to fight back the tears anymore. Aelita stood there, with tears dropping from her cheek as well. She approached him, and knelt down behind him, her hand on his shoulder.

"It wasn't your fault." Aelita said.

"Yes it is..." Gumball whimpered.

"No, it's not." Aelita said. "Sure, you didn't review your options carefully, but the fault is not your's. It was a horrible coincidence that was beyond your control." The blue cat lifted his face, wiping away the tears. He only lowered his head once more.

"No matter what I do, no matter any good thing I try to do, I only make things worse." Gumball said. "Maybe the world would be better off... if I didn't exist."

"Don't say that!" Aelita said.

"Huh?" Gumball asked.

"Don't ever say that!" Aelita said. "You have every right to exist just as everyone else! You have a wonderful life and a wonderful family to support you. And Gumball... you don't make things worse... all the time from what I can tell. You do such wonderful things. You helped everyone remember Molly, you helped Carmen and Alan get back together, you helped Bobert feel like a real person, you even help Mr. Robinson, even if he's such a horrible person to you. You do great things Gumball, even when you don't realize it." The blue cat began to think.

"Now that you mentioned it, I did manage to patch things up between me and Rob, and convinced him not to destroy the universe." Gumball said.

"Exactly." Aelita said. "In the end, you manage to do the right things and help those who need it, in your own silly way." The blue cat gave a smile, and a sniff.

"Thanks..." Gumball said, but then looked back on the ground with a frown. "I never did realize that I did good things after all. It's just... Penny always told me that. But since she passed away, I didn't have anybody else. Nobody to like... nobody that... that would like me." He then felt arms wrapped around him, Aelita's arms, as she nuzzled the back of his head.

"I like you..." She said. "I like you a lot." Hearing that touched him right in the heart, in which Gumball allowed the tears to flow from his eyes. Turning himself, he nuzzled into her neck, hugging her tightly. In this moment, neither of them wanted to let go, only to be in each other's embrace.

"Gumball... do you want me to stay?" Aelita asked. The blue cat gave a nod.

"Yes, I want you to stay." Gumball said. "But... I want you to stay because you want to... don't you?" The girl looked at the blue cat, and gave a smile. Deep down, she really wanted to stay with his family... with him.

"Of course I do." Aelita said. "I really want to stay with you. You all have welcomed me into your family, and you've given up so much for me... But... They'll find us again." Aelita said. "And it won't be long until they do."

"Well then, if they do, we won't back down." Gumball said. "I won't let them take you away."

"But Gumball, they'll try and kill you like they did before." Aelita said. "If they find us-"

"When they do come back, we'll be ready." Gumball said. "We'll run or fight, whatever it takes. I'll keep you safe. I'll keep both of you safe." His paws caressed the girl's stomach. She looked at the cat, who was willing to put his life on the line for her. She gave a hopeful smile, and leaned her head onto his, both their foreheads touched each other's.

"You're so sweet Gumball." Aelita said. "I can see why Penny liked you so much."

"Yeah." Gumball said. But the he looked away for a second, his thoughts were back on Anais, and on everything that happened.

"What's wrong?" Aelita asked. He gave a heavy sigh.

"Anais..." Gumball said.

"I know." Aelita said. "I heard everything." The blue cat only closed his eyes, allowing tears to drop out.

"I didn't mean what I said to her." He said. "Maybe she wouldn't have done this if I'd... if I'd just showed her that I loved her too." He couldn't help but cry a bit. Sure, what Anais did was pretty selfish, but maybe he wouldn't have done it if he hadn't ignored her and let her feel unloved. He moved and hugged Aelita. She too hugged him back.

"It'll be ok, Gumball." Aelita said. "We'll try and find her tomorrow." He knew that she was right. There was no way they would be able to find her now. She's probably long gone right now.

"Ok." Gumball said. He then looked at the girl, his paws caressed her face.

"What?" she asked. Unable to keep back anymore, he leaned in and kissed, sealing their lips together.

"I already lost two of the most important people to me." Gumball said. "Anais's gone, Penny's dead. Promise me you won't leave me." The girl looked at him, asking her to stay with him. In her heart, she wanted to stay with him. She was not gonna let him be alone ever again. Besides, she didn't want to be alone either.

"I promise." Aelita said. "Just don't leave me either, ok?"

"I promise." Gumball said as their noses. Once again, they both leaned in and kissed, more passionately than ever. They didn't care who was watching, or who would hear them. What mattered was that they had each other.

From above, Tommy watched from the balcony. A smile was forming on his face. Despite learning about all the horror she's been through, he was glad that she found solice in someone. From the warehouse entrance, Mordecai and Rigby were watching from afar, seeing the blue cat kiss the girl.

"Oh, so she is Gumball's girlfriend." Mordecai said.

"You owe me a buck." Rigby said, only to get a sigh from the blue jay.

Not all, however, were happy seeing this. From the distance, Anais was watching the whole thing. In her mind, mixed stuff were going on in her head. Sadness, Anger, and Pain. The pain of her brother's harsh words, the sadness feeling no place in her family, and the anger she held toward that girl... that whore, Anais thought. She didn't give a donkey's dropping if that girl went through so much. Just seeing that little slut locking lips with her brother brought rage to her eyes. She has been seen mad before at times, but this would really take the cake. She turned around and left, leaving her... no... leaving the morons behind. No matter what it took, she was going to make them pay. She'll make them all pay. Turning her head, she saw a red telephone booth. With no hesitation, she went inside, inserted a quarter inside, and typed in a number. She then placed a mask over her head. It rang for a few seconds until someone picked up.

"Hello?"

"Is this the Hydra Force?" Anais asked through the mask, which distorted her voice.

"Yes?"

"I know where the girl and Wattersons are." She hissed.

* * *

**1!**

**Well... that was a lot of feels right? So much drama. So much... sadness.**

**Sure, Anais has done some bad stuff, threatening and trying to hurt Aelita, but the bunny shouldn't be entirely blamed. The family has made Anais feel unloved, which made her resent them and Aelita for making it worse. Gumball's affection towards his new friend was the breaking point, and now Gumball said things he never meant to say. It's gonna take a lot for him to make this right. Unfortunately, Anais' no longer loves them, as the feeling has grown to hate and cruelty.**

**Also, for those who were a bit uneasy with Tommy attacking Gumball in the previous chapter, you should now know why he had the instinct to do so. He has encountered the Shadowkan before, and they kidnapped someone very dear to him, so yeah.**

**It's almost time everyone. Our heroes are getting ready to unite and the two parties are going to be joined together! Are you excited?! I hope so!**


	17. Chapter 17: Departure

**Ok, we're almost there! I ask that you wait just one more chapter, ok? After this one, the big one will finally take shape! Our heroes are almost ready to meet!**

* * *

_**Chapter 17: Departure**_

_**Meanwhile, at the Loud Residence...**_

_**During the chase...**_

"I've sent my findings to you. I'm sure you have received them?" Lisa was speaking to the monitor.

"Yes we did." The voice said. "We'll be sure to look them over. I still can't believe she's been alive after all this time."

"I was unable to coordinate her exact location, but I'm sure from the surveillance footage I aquired from the Michigan Central Station shows that it was heading for Elmore around the time she disappeared." Lisa said. "I wonder if she was the girl Lori saw digging through her boyfriend unit's trash cans."

"Still, this was a big help Miss Lisa Loud." The voice said. "I have to say, you have such a talent for a girl your age."

"Thank you too, Dr. Kleiner." Lisa said, with the monitor showing Dr. Issac Kleiner. "I hope this helps the SPD find her before the Dark Phoenix does."

"We sure hope so as well." Kleiner said. "Take care Miss Loud."

"You too." She said, and the monitor disconnected. In secret, she is aware of the SPD and their existance. While she was not a member, she was a good friend to Dr. Kleiner, which is how she came to know the organization. Since yesterday, she was helping them find some information about Franz Hopper, and she was told that their friend from the outside agreed to help if they found the professor's daughter.

The child prodigy got up from her seat, and then glanced at the window. Peeping her head up, she saw her brother Lincoln putting stuff in CJ's car. She noticed the symbols SPD on it. To be honest, Lisa knew something off about CJ when she met him today, and she knew what the SPD truly meant, and who they truly were. And she knew that CJ was in fact an SPD operative. She was helping them search for information on Franz Hopper and his work for the past month. And they have an interest in her brother?

"I wonder why the SPD is also interested with my brother-unit?" Lisa asked herself. "He has no connections to Franz Hopper... Maybe because he saw her that night when he was patrolling the streets last month or probably because they think his skills could be of use of them." She then turned to the viewer.

"Before you all lose you intellectual capabilities, yes I've always known Lincoln was a superhero." Lisa told the viewer. "I just didn't tell him or my family units because I want to respect his wishes in keeping it secret. I am human after all." She then turned her computer off and then left her room to see Lincoln off.

"So, wait, you leaving?"

That was the first question Clyde asked Lincoln as he was packing his stuff into the car. Clyde is Lincoln's best friend, the nerdy kid with the circular thick rimmed glasses, freckles and black hair styled in an afro, dressed with a yellow-and-blue striped shirt with a white collar, black pants and tennis shoes. They've been friends since they were little, especially due to their love of Ace Savvy. He is sloHoward and Harold Micbride's adopted son. He is very neurotic and worriesome, probably because he has allergies and asthma. But he's always willing to help Lincoln when he needs it, and to be honest, he loves hanging out at his place, spending time with his sisters as well.

He was told yesterday by Lincoln that he was leaving for a very important matter. Clyde is fully aware of Lincoln's secret life as a super hero, and has done a fantastic job at keeping it a secret. He even gave Lincoln some advice and suggestions for what kind of gear the white haired kid should use during his patrolling.

"Yeah, I have to." Lincoln said. "Let's just say that, as Kim Possible would say, it's a save the world thing."

"Ooooh, I get it." Clyde said. "Well then, I won't ask anymore. Here, let me help." Going to the other side of the suitcase, the boy helped his white-haired friend heave the bag into the backtrunk, though the african-american boy is not as strong as Lincoln. Despite this, the two managed to put the case in the trunk.

"Sorry if I won't be here for most of the summer." Lincoln said.

"Eh, it's alright." Clyde said. "It's all part of being a hero. Besides, I'm still in a good mood today."

"Really, why?" Lincoln asked.

"Well, remember when I told you when my dads said that they're gonna adopt a younger sibling?"

"Yeah, what about it?" Lincoln asked.

"Well, my dads found someone who's looking for someone to give her baby a good home!" Clyde said. "I'm gonna be a big brother!"

"Sweet!" Lincoln said as he high-fived his best friend. "Who'd they get in contact with?"

"Can't really say." Clyde said. "From what I heard, my dads came into contact with their old highschool gal-friend from Elmore, and she told them the mother is an underage teenager they took in. She says that she's looking for someone to give her baby a good home."

"Wait, an underage teenager?" Lincoln asked.

"Yeah, she's around fourteen or fifteen." Clyde said. "My dad's friend said that she's been out on the streets for a long time."

"Oh, man, that bites." Lincoln said.

"Yeah, but she's doing fine now." Clyde said. "And it's surprising that she wants to give her baby to us. But hey, she wants what's best for her child, so I don't see any harm in it."

"That's great." Lincoln said. "When are you gonna see her?"

"Well that's the thing." Clyde said. "She hasn't given birth to her yet, and it probably won't be until another week or so at the least."

"Well, I guess I can meet her when I get back." Lincoln said.

"Hey Lame-O." A voice said behind the boy. He turned his head to see Ronnie Anne, the tough hardcore latin-american tomboy with dark tan skin, black hair worn in a ponytail, with freckles and two buck teeth. Her attire consisted of a purple hoodie with jean shorts, a white tank top underneath, and blue shoes with light pink socks worn high. Ronnie Anne is Lincoln's close friend and crush. Like him, she comes from a big family, consisting of many uncles, aunts, cousins and grandparents due to her latin / mexican heritage. She contantly bullies Lincoln and sometimes humiliates him in front of his peers, but the reason behind that is because she actually likes him... a lot. They actually became friends when Lincoln's sisters got involved... or meddled into the situation, where their point of Ronnie Anne bullying their brother due to her liking him was proven right... after she punched him in the face for kissing her.

Since then, the two have been friends ever since, while trying to tell everyone that they were not dating. But to be honest, the thought of them both actually together was something they both liked. She was told yesterday by Lincoln that he was leaving, but unlike Clyde, she had no knowledge that the white haired boy she liked very much was the _NEX El Tigre_, which was something her family always praised because of the Riveras, the family El Tigre originated from, were Latin / Mexican as well. So he told her that he was going to Summer Camp for a month, which surprised her, but she understood.

"Oh, hey Ronnie Anne." Lincoln said. "Thanks for coming."

"No problem." Ronnie Anne said. "Did you think I was going let you leave without saying goodbye." She gave him a punch on the shoulder, but it was a friendly punch.

"Sorry I'm gonna be gone for a while." Lincoln said.

"Eh, it's ok." Ronnie Anne said. "I just hope I can put up with Bobby and Lori at my house constantly." The two looked over and saw Lori and Bobby flirting with each other. Bobby was Ronnie Anne's older brother, as he too had tan skin with black hair with a tuft combed upwards. He wore blue jeans, brown shoes with multiple white stripes, a black belt with agold buckle and a cream-colored T-shirt underneath a green button shirt. Unlike Ronnie Anne, Bobby is more relaxed, easy going, kind and has a carefree attitude, similar to Leni in terms of perception and intelligence. He is also best friends with Lincoln, having a big brother little brother relationship. He is also Lori's boyfriend.

"Oh babe, you know I love you so much." He said as he nuzzled Lori's neck.

"I love you too Boo-Boo Bear." She said as she kissed him, while Ronnie Anne and Lincoln looked with disgust.

"So cheesy." They both said. The white haired boy turned to Clyde, who was also showing a bit of disgust. Back then, Clyde had an obsessive crush on Lori, up to the point where he would have a massive nose bleed and get jealous whenever she and Bobby hung out. But suddenly, Clyde was not doing so. It wasn't because he was now comfortable, it's because he was no longer interested in Lori.

"Wow, Clyde, you're not having a nose bleed or getting jealous?" Lincoln asked.

"Nah, I've finally given up on Lori." Clyde said. "Stopped being interested in her after finding out what she does in the bathroom. That's Bobby's problem now."

"Hey, Lincoln!" Lynn called out, holding Lincoln's blue backpack, which had his smaller things, such as comic books, cellphone, sketchbook, art supplies, and Bon Bon, his stuffed rabbit. "You forgot your backpack."

"Oh, thanks Lynn." Lincoln said as she gave it to him. He didn't know how long the trip to the SPD's headquarters was going to take, so he prepared himself for a long ride. As Lynn turned to see Clyde however, she froze instantly. The boy removed his glasses for a second to scratch between his eyes, and then placed them back on. The jock kept staring at him... at his cute... cute... face, and her heart was pumping in a strange rhythem, and her cheeks turned red.

"Lynn?" Lincoln asked as he moved into her sight. "Earth to Lynn, you alright?" Seeing her brother, the jock quickly shook her head.

"Uh, yeah, I'm good." Lynn said.

"Oh!" Clyde said looking down at his feet. "My shoes untied. Don't wanna trip and fall down again." He turned for a second and bent down to tie his shoes. Lynn however, kept staring at him, and at his thin buttocks. Surprisingly, while Clyde finally got over his crush on Lori, Lynn started developing feelings for the thirteen year-old. She didn't know why she liked him, because he was the exact opposite of her. She's tough, he's cowardly. She's daring, he's cautious, she's a sportsgirl, he's a nerd. But she didn't care. She just... liked him.

"Cute butt." She whispered, unaware that Lincoln heard that.

"What?" He asked.

"What?" Lynn asked, as Ronnie Anne rolled her eyes, knowing about Lynn's sudden romantic interest in Lincoln's friend.

"You have everything packed honey?" Rita asked.

"Yeah, I have everything." Lincoln said. "Suitcase, Backpack, supplies, toothbrush, everything." His suitcase was full of clothes, toothbrush, toothpaste, and sleep attire should he need it. Of course he's gonna need it. He's not gonna wear the same clothes everyday while he's away. Pretty soon, all the girls and their father were outside. While he told everyone yesterday he was leaving the next day, they were a bit surprised. But neverless, they were excited. This was going to be goodbye for a while, so the girls, and Lisa who had just joined them, decided to say their goodbyes together.

"Well, looks like we won't be seeing you for a while." Lori said.

"Yeah, but I'll be back soon." Lincoln said.

"Don't worry, I'll be sure to hold the fort while you're gone." Lori said. "I'll make sure nobody goes into your room, and if you send any messages to my phone, I won't delete them."

"Thanks Lori." Lincoln said as he gave his sister a hug.

"You take care little bro!" Bobby said as he gave Lincoln a hug too. "I'll keep Lori company while you're away, ok?"

"Thanks, Bobby." Lincoln said. He then turned to Leni, who was looking away.

"Goodbye!" Leni said.

"Leni, I'm the one who's leaving." Lincoln said.

"Oh, right." Leni said, turning back around. "Sorry about that." She then looked at her younger brother, and there were tears forming up in her eyes.

"Leni?" The boy asked.

"You're growing up so fast Linky." Leni said. "I'm Gonna Miss You So Mu-huh-huh-huh-uch!" She cried as she hugged him tightly, pressing his face into her stomach. Despite that she was only a month along, the boy could hear the heartbeat inside her. With the experiences he's had when Rita was carrying his other siblings in her tummy, he knew that Leni was going through the major mood swings all women go through when they're in the nest.

"Leni, it's the hormones, ok?" Lincoln said. Luckily, Lori stepped in and dragged Leni away.

"Don't worry Leni, Lincoln will be back, ok?" Lori said.

"I know, but I'll miss him sooo much!" Leni wailed.

"C'mon Leni, let's go take your prenatals." Her older sister said as she took her into the house.

"Well, guess this is goodbye for now lil' bro." Luna said as she approached the white haired boy.

"For now at least." Lincoln said.

"While you're there, be sure to have a Rock'n Good Time, alright?" Luna said.

"Sure thing." Lincoln said. "Good luck at your gig this weekend."

"I'll be sure to dedicate it to you bro." Luna said, giving her lil' bro a hug.

"Hey Lincoln, I made you this joke book in case you're missing me while you're away." Luan said.

"Wow, thanks Luan." Lincoln said, putting the book in his backpack.

"Oh hey Lincoln, do you know what the Buffalo said to her son when he left home?" Luan asked.

"No, what?" Lincoln asked.

"Bison!" Luan said. "Get it? Bi Son?" She gave a laugh and a snirk. Normally everybody would be tired of puns, but Lincoln gave a smile.

"Bi Luan." Lincoln said, giving her sister a hug. He then turned to see Lynn Jr.

"Well, guess this is it... for now." she said.

"Yep." Lincoln said. "You gonna be ok?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine." Lynn Jr. said. "It's still kinda weird not having you here, you know?"

"Tell me about it." Lincoln said. "Good luck at your baseball games Lynn."

"Don't worry, I don't need luck." Lynn said. "Besides, luck is nothing but bull, you know? While you're there, if anyone messes with you, don't forget the training I've been giving you, ok?"

"Ok." Lincoln said. The two then gave each other a hug, which was a lot longer than with his other siblings. That's the sign of how much closer they've gotten over the past couple years. He then turned to Lucy, who's eyes were hidden under her bangs.

"Sigh..." Lucy said. "It seems that this is goodbye."

"Yeah, but don't worry Lucy." Lincoln said. "I won't be gone too long... I think."

"If you're wondering if I'm sad, it's alright." Lucy said. "I enjoy misery. But I will write a poem for you when you return."

"Thanks Luce." Lincoln said. "Just don't stay in the dark for to long."

"Don't worry, I won't." Lucy said, and gave a smile. After their hug, Lincoln looked at his twin sisters.

"Awww, I wish we could go with you." Lana said.

"Me too, but they only selected me." Lincoln said.

"It's still not fair though." Lola said. "How am I gonna win this summer's pageant knowing you'll be away."

"You're pageants aren't that important." Lana said.

"I know that." Lola said. "Don't ruin the moment Lana."

"Say girls, can you both do me a favor?" Lincoln asked. "Try not to fight each other too much, and promise you'll get along while I'm away, ok?"

"Sure thing Linc!" Lana said.

"Anything for you!" Lola said, with the twins giving a big hug to their brother, who returned the favor. As they broke the hug, the boy turned to his child prodigy sister.

"So, it seems you're ready to depart on your little adventure." Lisa said.

"Yeah, mom did say to think of it as an adventure." Lincoln said.

"Just in case you ever need to talk to us, I upgraded your phone so you can video chat with us when you need to." Lisa said.

"Wow, thanks Lisa." Lincoln said.

"It's my pleasure brother-unit." Lisa said, giving a hug to her brother. "Be careful out there, ok?"

"Sure thing... wait, why?" Lincoln asked.

"Just wishful thinking." Lisa said with a nod. The boy gave a smile, then turned his attention to Lily.

"Linky go bye bye?" Lily asked.

"Yeah, I'm leaving for a while." Lincoln said. "But I'll be back soon. Wanna hug from your big brother?" The three year-old looked at him with a smile, and then ran off, leaving the white haired boy alone.

"Oh... ok." Lincoln said, lowering his head. But then the little girl ran up to him and gave him a big hug.

"I love you, Linky!" Lily said. Hearing that made the boy smile, and he embraced her in a hug. But then he heard snoring coming from the little girl. He picked her up in his arms.

"She's asleep again." Lincoln said, giving her to his mom.

"Guess so." Rita said. "Well, I guess this is goodbye Lincoln."

"Yeah, I guess so." Lincoln said, but then his smile then faded, and he stared down at the ground.

"What's wrong son?" Lynn Sr. asked.

"It's just... I never thought I would be leaving home." Lincoln said. "I'm gonna miss you guys."

"We're gonna miss you too Lincoln." Rita said. "But you'll be back."

"She's right sport." Lynn Sr. said. "No matter where you are, we'll always be with you." The boy raised his head up and gave a smile. He embraced his parents in a big hug, with the Loud sisters coming up to form a huge mega family hug.

"Take care Lincoln." Clyde said as he high-fived his friend.

"You too." The boy replied. Ronnie Anne then approached the boy.

"Have fun, ok?" She asked.

"Sure will." Lincoln said as the girl gave him a warm hug. A tint of red appeared on his face, but he didn't care. He wrapped his arms around her, concealing the hug. This went on for about almost eight seconds, until they realized they hugged too long, longer than the last time.

"Awww... I told you they were dating." Lola said.

"We're not dating!" Lincoln and Ronnie spoke in unison, though more tints of red appeared on their cheeks. Then a honking sound came from the car, with CJ waving his hand.

"Better get going." Lincoln said as he grabbed his backpack. "Goodbye everyone!"

"Goodbye Lincoln!" Everyone said. The boy ran up to the car and got in the front passenger seat. As he closed the door, he glanced back at his family. He knew that once he left, there was no going back. But he SPD needed his help, and he sure wasn't going to back out yet. He then turned to see CJ in the driver's seat.

"You'll see them again." He said.

"I know." Lincoln said.

"You ready... El Tigre?" CJ asked. The boy looked at him with a smile, confident.

"Sure am... Captain Japan." Lincoln said.

"Then let's go." CJ said with a smile. He started the car, and it drove off, heading down the street.

"Have fun sweetie!" Rita called out as the others waved goodbye. The car then took off, and Lisa stared down.

"I wonder if Lincoln knows what he's getting into?" She thought.

* * *

The car was driving down Interstate 375 and turning off on Interstate 75. CJ was driving, and Lincoln was in the passenger seat.

"So, off we go." Lincoln said.

"Yep." CJ said. "This is the start of the adventure." Lincoln then looked at the boy.

"How old are you?" Lincoln asked.

"16." CJ said. "If you're wondering, yes I do have a driver's license."

"Cool." Lincoln said. "Your lucky you and most teens do. My sister Leni didn't get her license until last month. And she's eightteen."

"Well, there's a lot of people who don't get their license until that age." CJ said. "I know someone who didn't get their license until he was twenty."

"Wow." Lincoln said. The boy then reached into his backpack, and pulled out one of his comic books, much to CJ's notice.

"Ace Savvy?" CJ asked. "By Bill Buck?"

"Yeah, he's a comic book superhero." Lincoln said. "His main weapon is playing cards."

"Ahh, so he's like Superman and Gambit combined." CJ said.

"Yep." Lincoln said. "I know what you're thinking, it makes me a bit of a nerd."

"That's fine." CJ said. "if it makes you feel better, there are lots of people part of fandoms nowadays. There's even a fandom for people who like to watch the Pony cartoons."

"Yeah, I've learned that after I caught Lucy and Lynn watching Pretty Pretty Ponies one time." Lincoln said. "I'm surprised they managed to convince Mom and Dad to take them last year to Pony CiderFest in Wisconsin."

"I've heard about that show." CJ said. "You watch it too?"

"Not really." Lincoln said. "I'm not much of a Brony, but I do love the community. They make the best content." The boy turns to the viewer and gives a wink.

"I still have my fair share of fandom in my life." CJ said.

"I was beginning to figure that, with you being Japanese and all." Lincoln said. "Do you read Manga, or watch Anime?"

"No, I don't actually read much Manga or Anime, though I do watch a bit of Attack on Titan and My Hero Academia once in a while." CJ said.

"Oh." Lincoln said. "What kind of comics do you read?"

"Tokusatsu genre." CJ said. "Mostly Kamen Rider and Super Sentai."

"Super Sentai, what is that?" Lincoln asked.

"Power Rangers." CJ said.

"Ohhhh... wait, Power Rangers originated from Super Sentai?" Lincoln asked.

"Yep." CJ said.

"Huh... never knew that." Lincoln said, looking back out the window, seeing the sign they were passing by.

_**You Are Now Leaving Great Lakes City. Come back soon!**_

The sign said it all, as they were indeed leaving home.

"Never thought I would leave home so far away. This is now officially uncharted territory."

"Definitely takes you out of your comfort zone, does it." CJ said. "You gonna be ok?"

"Yeah." Lincoln said. "I'll be alright. It's like what Mom said. Think of it as an adventure."

"And speaking of adventure, check this out." CJ said as he clicked the button on the steering wheel. Suddenly, the car they were driving began to be lifted off the road. Actually it was floating off the road. There were jets below pushing the car up from under and the wheels on the side stopped and turned over to face the ground. A Jet wing appeared on each side, and the front turned more arrow-dynamic. Lincoln looked outside as he saw that they were in the air and no longer on the ground.

"Whoa..." Lincoln said. "This car is a jet?"

"Actually, the jet turns into a car." CJ said.

"Neat!" Lincoln said, feeling more excited. He couldn't believe that this day just got more exciting. But with this being the SPD, he knew that this was also serious stuff. So, he did his best to keep his excitement to a minimum.

"So this is like the Big Leagues right?" Lincoln asked.

"Pretty much." CJ said.

"And we're part of a team?" Lincoln asked.

"Sure are." CJ said.

"How many of us are there?" Lincoln asked.

"There's another one, and he's off collecting his buddies." CJ said. "He highly requested it."

"So this is like S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers, right?" Lincoln asked.

"You can call it that." CJ said.

"Ok then, so what certain qualities do I have to show?" Lincoln asked. "I mean, this is serious stuff, so should I be serious?"

"Kid, let me tell you a couple rules." CJ said. "One, don't ask too many questions. Two, it's not like a prove yourself or anything like that. And three, just be yourself."

"Be myself." Lincoln said. "I can definitely do that."

"Works for me." CJ said. A few moments have passed and Lincoln broke the silence.

"I know the first rule was not to ask so many questions, but out of curiosity, what's our assignment?" He asked. "Are we going up against somebody?"

"The Dark Phoenix." CJ said. "Ever heard of them?"

"I think I have." Lincoln said. "Are they some kind of Mafia?

"They're more than just a Mafia." CJ said, handing over a tablet to the boy, but not before pulling up a folder filled with information and photos, and Lincoln examined them. "The Dark Phoenix are the most notorious terrorist organization in the world, headed by former Armyman Mark James Hollenback, Professor Ignius Tyron, Doctor Otomo Kamikazi and Former scientist of Black Mesa Wallace Breen."

"What is their objective?" Lincoln asked.

"World Domination." CJ said. "They've been collecting old fragments of Shadow-Kaijin artifacts from around the world, dating back thousands of years way before the Great Pharoah was born."

"Kaijin... You mean the humanoid monsters." Lincoln asked.

"Technically speaking, yes." CJ explained. "The Kaijin are fierce monster-like tokusatsu warriors who come to earth to enslave the human race. The Dark Phoenix, however, have managed to capture and bring these monsters into our world and use them as soldiers to conquer the world."

"That's impossible." Lincoln said. "How are they gonna pull that off."

"With this guy's work." CJ said, clicking one of the keys on the tablet, revealing a photo of a man with black-grayish hair, with a beard as the same color. He wore dark sunglasses to hide his eyes. Lincoln was a bit surprised seeing the man in the picture, as if he knew him.

"Franz Hopper." Lincoln said. "I've heard about him from my six year-old sister Lisa." Lincoln said. "Lisa's a child prodegy, a science geek. She's completely obsessed with this guy."

"What did she tell you about him?" CJ asked.

"Only from the pictures I saw in Lisa's room, he was a teacher and that he was part of some group, and he was being hunted down for condoning illegal activities." Lincoln said.

"Years ago, Franz Hopper, who was known as Waldo Schaeffer, was part of an international top secret project filled with scientists in the fields of computing and quantum mechanics." CJ said.

"Project Carthage." Lincoln said. "Lisa told me about that too, that it was said to transport people from all around the world into a digital universe, and disrupt enemy communications."

"Well, that was a lie." CJ said.

"A Lie?" Lincoln asked.

"The disrupting enemy communications thing was a lie." CJ said. "Transporting people into the digital universe was the first step. The true purpose of Project Carthage was to open a gateway across the multiverse."

"Different Dimensions." Lincoln said.

"That's right." CJ said. "Franz Hopper thought they would use Carthage to help humanity move on in case our world ever ended, but he learned that the group, who were the predecessors of the Dark Phoenix, were planning to use it for benefit themselves and use it for world domination. The Phoenix killed all those who knew of it existance, except for a few who are alive today."

"That's horrible." Lincoln said.

"You wanna know what's ironic?" CJ asked. "They don't realize that the monsters they want to control, will destroy them in the end." Luckly for Lincoln, he was able to take this in well.

"You said there were a few who are still alive." Lincoln said. "Who else was involved?"

"There's a small list." CJ said. "Issac Kleiner, Eli Vance, ...and Professor Moshimo, he was part of it too, but his place was raided last year, so he's either kidnapped or dead. That's pretty much it."

"Man, Lisa would flip out if she ever saw this." Lincoln said, sliding the photos on the tablet to the side to see the next ones. "To be honest with ya, I've never been one for conspiracies and all but-" The next photo that came up was of the professor. But next to him, was a little girl with pink hair, roughly around seven years old. Lincoln's heart stopped as he saw the picture. He was looking right at the girl in the photo.

"That girl..." He said, as if he knew her.

"Hmmm?" CJ asked.

"Who's this girl in the photo?" Lincoln asked, pointing to the girl with pink hair.

"Aelita Schaeffer." CJ said. "The professor's daughter. She disappeared along with him years ago."

"No she didn't." Lincoln said. CJ looked at him with a surprised look.

"What?" CJ asked.

"I've seen her before!" Lincoln said. "Twice."

"You have?" CJ asked almost in disbelief. "When?"

"It was... almost two months ago." Lincoln said. "I remember now. I was walking past Flip's Food and Fuel one day, and then I heard Flip screaming. I turned to see the girl running out with a bag of groceries. She ran right past me. I saw her face. She looked scared to death. Flip told me that she was short on money and took the snacks she was buying. Then I saw her later again during my patrol."

"When was that?" CJ asked.

"The second time was a while later around 10:30pm. Saturday, I'm sure of it." Lincoln said. "I usually patrol between eight and eleven. Lori was complaining that some girl was raiding the Santiago's trash one night and I went to investigate. That night I saw the girl being jumped and tossed around by some gang. I intervined and stopped them. I offered to take her to the hospital, but she refused, saying that she had to get out of town. So I took her to the train station. She called me a hero, and that was the last time I ever saw her." CJ began thinking, but he caught a quick glimpse at the photo. At that moment, something clicked in his head.

"Let me see real quick." CJ said, as Lincoln handed him back the tablet.

"Ok, but shouldn't you be driving though?" Lincoln asked.

"Hold on a second." CJ said as he pressed a button on the wheel, engaging the auto-pilot.

**-AUTO-PILOT ACTIVATED-**

"Wow..." Lincoln said a bit impressed. He handed the tablet to CJ, who looked at the photo of Franz Hopper and Aelita carefully. He remembered Sonic talking about a girl he was looking for, some was also known as Aelita. He even caught a glimpse at the photo Sonic gave Magnusson. He even mentioned she was a student at Kadic Academy. The girl in this photo and the one in that photo were the the same person!

"Now I remember." CJ said. "A colleague we just recruited said that she was alive and wanted us to find her."

"And you just remembered?" Lincoln asked.

"Yeah, I didn't get the full details." CJ said. "You sure you saw her?"

"I'm positive." Lincoln said.

"You said the first time you spotted her was two months ago?" CJ asked. "What day was that?"

"It was April 2nd." Lincoln said. "I remember that day, it was the day after Luan's Prankpocalypse."

"Prankpocalypse?" CJ asked.

"Yeah, Luan's an aspiring comedian." Lincoln said. "She loves April Fools, and she does everything she can to prank the family beyond our greatest nightmares. She got some stunt people posing as us and... I don't wanna talk about it."

"Alright, let me check the security footage." CJ said as he placed the tablet on the radio player. "Shelia, check the security footage at Flip's Food and Fuel marking back April 2nd."

"Accessing security footage." Shelia spoke.

"Shelia?" Lincoln asked.

"Someone at SPD has a grandmother named Shelia, acts as a designated driver for her relatives." CJ said. The screen then pulled up, revealing the footage at the Flip's Food and Fuel. There it was showing Flip, the elderly man with a short stature, with gray hair and mustache, with a bald spot on the top of his head, wearing a red shirt, brown pants and black shoes behind his desk, twiddling his fingers, scratching his crotch, which was found revolting by the viewers. Then he clicked the cash register open and took some money out, placing it in his pockets. Lincoln gasped at this.

"What?!" Lincoln asked. "Did he just steal from the cash register?! That is so uncool!"

"Do you want me to send this to the police?" CJ asked.

"Nah, he got mugged by some parents who he cheated on for money." Lincoln said.

"That's Karma." CJ said. The footage kept playing. Coming from the doorway was a girl, wearing a dark purple coat, and her hair was short and pink.

"There is she." Lincoln said, pointing at the girl. CJ paused the footage, then zoomed in on the girl.

"Enhance image." CJ said, enhancing the image to be more clearer. It was her. It was definitely Aelita Hopper Schaeffer, just as Lincoln said.

"It's her." CJ said. "But she's still young, probably around 13 or 14. How is that even possible?"

"Maybe she has growth hormone deficiency?" Lincoln said. "Maybe her growth stunted sometime and she passed off as a little girl?" CJ looked at the boy.

"You got that from Lisa too?" CJ asked.

"No, last Halloween Lucy made us all watch Orphan, where the little girl the family adopted was actually 33 year-old murderer." Lincoln said.

"Is there anything your sisters don't do?" CJ asked.

"No, but to be honest, I love that about them." Lincoln said. CJ smiled then focused back on the photo.

"Still, I can't believe it's actually her." CJ said.

"And she's still around my age or a year older." Lincoln said. "How is she still young? She has to be at least 24 or something." CJ began to think.

"She was twelve when she disappeared..." CJ said. "Wait a second. Back at the hometown Franz Hopper lived at, there was an old factory in the Lake, and the SPD found a supercomputer. Issac comfirmed that Franz Hopper tried to recreate his own version of the project after he tried to destroy the real one. His version would allow him to visit the digital dimension as a safe haven. Shelia, play the last Video Diary of Franz Hopper's research!"

"Video found. Now playing video." Shelia spoke as the tablet began to play a video, which displayed Franz Hopper in some sort of chair near computer keyboards. The area looked underground.

_"I built the Supercomputer as a safe haven for my research and an access point for me and Aelita to go to the Digital Dimension of Lyoko, a hub world I created based on Carthage's original design. It will allow us to escape my enemies. The scanners and the virtualization programs are ready. In a few hours, I will go to Lyoko with Aelita. She holds the keys to it all. Together we are the masters of Lyoko. She and I will be together, forever."_

The video ends there.

"Is it just me... or does he sound a little... Loco in the coco?" Lincoln asked.

"One of the video diaries spoke of him using some kind of Return to the Past sequence to go back in time to relive past events." CJ said. "It may have deteriated his mental health. He must've used the Supercomputer to transport himself and Aelita to this... Lyoko world in the Digital Dimension. But the computer was shut down when we found it, so it may have froze them in a hypersleep status."

"But how did she escape?" Lincoln asked.

"Maybe someone turned on the computer before we found it." CJ said. "Maybe that's how she got out. And maybe Franz didn't survive the process. There was a school that Franz Hopper worked at. Shelia, check the school records of the hometown Franz used to live in."

"Checking School Records." Shelia spoke, displaying a large list of students at the town's school Kadic Academy. CJ typed in several names, including the name Aelita, and luckly, he found a match.

"Here she is." CJ said pulling up the file, which displayed Aelita and the information from the school's archives.

"Well I'll be damned." CJ said. "No wonder why we couldn't piece it together. She attended Kadic Academy under the name Aelita Stones, passing off as a cousin of fellow student Odd Della Robbia. They shared the same classes with three other students, Jeremie Belpois, Ulrich Stern, and Yumi Ishiyama." Lincoln looked at the name of the school, and recognized it.

"Kadic Academy..." Lincoln said. "Wait a second, that's where that School shooting took place."

"School shooting?" CJ asked.

"Yeah, last year some terrorists wearing weird suits showed up at the school and began shooting everywhere. Students, teachers, everybody died in that carnage." Lincoln said. CJ then searched the web, and found an article containing information regarding the school shooting at Kadic Academy. There were pictures of some dead students and teachers, and part of the school destroyed. A newspaper article was also shown.

_**HEADLINE: TERROR STRIKES KADIC**_

_According to the Archives, the school was attacked by a group of mercenaries involved in a terrorist organization. Many students and teachers died from the attack, including four brave students; Jeremie Belpois, Ulrich Stern, Odd Della Robbia, and Yumi Ishiyama. One student, Aelita Stones, is still unaccounted for, but it is most likely she died in the explosion that killed many students in the library._

Lincoln only sighed as he saw the photos. There was also a video of one of the classmates filming an video for the start of the school year, where the gunshots were heard and the camera was dropped as several students ran for their lives and some strange suited soldiers moved.

"Wait, Freeze That Image!" CJ said, and the footage stopped, displaying one of the soldiers. CJ zoomed in and looked at the soldier, and noticed a strange symbol on it. It was the words HF, with three hydra heads in the back.

"Oh my god." CJ said.

"Was it the Dark Phoenix?" Lincoln asked.

"Worse... It's Hydra Force." CJ said.

"Hydra Force?" Lincoln asked.

"The Dark Phoenix's most high ranked operatives." CJ said. "Led by Drex Archo." CJ then brought up a photo of Drex Archo, the man in the shades, long drench coat, and the metallic arm on his right. "Once a militia soldier, he was cast out after he lost his arm in battle. Drove him psychologically insane. He became the leader of Hydra Force a couple years ago. His team were also the ones who attacked the factory when we were investigating it. They were probably looking for the Supercomputer."

"And they attacked to school for Franz Hopper's files?" Lincoln asked. "He worked there as a teacher back then, he wouldn't hide stuff at a school."

"I don't think they were just after files at the school Lincoln." CJ said. "They were after the girl."

"I get that they're desparate, but why are they going after the girl?" Lincoln asked.

"They think she could know something about Franz Hopper's work." CJ said. "She is his daughter."

"But Franz Hopper was a secretive man, there's no way he could trust his own daughter with this kind of stuff." Lincoln said. "Would he?"

"Maybe he did, or she found out when she was set free." CJ said.

"Poor girl." Lincoln said. "So not only does she lose everyone she loves, she's now on the run, she's homeless, and worse..." The boy couldn't help but wonder, thinking the girl was still out there alone, hurt, and her whole life taken away by some creeps. His hands clenched, but he kept his cool.

"Makes you mad?" CJ asked.

"Yeah." Lincoln said. "If I had known..."

"Even if you did, if you helped her, they would've come for you too." CJ said.

"But I know how to fight, and so does my sisters." Lincoln said. "Wish I could've done more..."

"Well now we can." CJ said. "Do you remember where she was headed?"

"I told her the farthest the train can go was Elmore, which is about more than 85 miles from here." Lincoln said.

"Then we'll search there." CJ said. "Hopefully she's still there. We'll get her into safe hands. Sonic will also be pleased to know this as well."

"Sonic?" Lincoln asked. His eyes then widened. Was CJ talking about Sonic the Hedgehog? "Wait... Sonic the Hedgehog is working with the SPD?"

"Actually, he's working with us, and you'll get a chance to see him in action." CJ answered with a smile. The white haired boy's mouth dropped open. He has heard about Sonic the Hedgehog and his heroic accomplishments in the past. And now he was goin to work with him? Lincoln tried his best to keep himself from fanboying.

"Ok, this day just got even better." Lincoln said.

"Agent Miyamoto come in! Do you read me?" The voice from the radio spoke. CJ clicked the buttons on the dashboard, revealing Magnusson and Dr. Kleiner.

"Copy Magnusson, and Kleiner." CJ said.

"Whassup?" Lincoln asked.

"Who's the boy?" Dr. Kleiner asked.

"He's my partner." CJ said.

"Yeah, Lincoln Loud reporting for duty Sir." The boy said giving a salute.

"Listen, we got word that Hydra Force has been on the move." Magnusson said.

"Hydra Force?" Lincoln asked.

"Where are they?" CJ asked.

"In Elmore." Magnusson said.

"Elmore?" Lincoln and CJ asked at the same time.

"We have even more news." Kleiner said. "We have vital information regarding Franz Hopper. There was reports of a young girl that looks just like Franz Hopper's daughter."

"That is Hopper's daughter." Lincoln said.

"Yes, and it appears Hydra Force is pursuing her." Magnusson said.

"How did Hydra Force know where to find her?" Lincoln asked.

"Apparently someone tipped them off about the girl's location." Magnusson said. "We were able to intercept the message sent to them by a anonymous tipper."

"Put in on speaker." CJ said. Magnusson gave a nod and Issac played the message.

_**"This is to the Hydra Force. I have vital information regarding a fugitive that you are searching for. The girl's location is in a blue house owned by the Watterson family, right next to a big purple in the town of Elmore. The address is 1026 York Street-"**_

As the audio stopped, CJ and Lincoln were a bit surprised, not only because of the information that was given, but how the voice sounded so distorted and metallic.

"Ok that was creepy." Lincoln said.

"Sounds like it was edited to make it sound anonymous." CJ said. "Kleiner, can you see if you can edit the audio to find out the real voice."

"Already on it." Issac spoke as he began to do some typing on a computer. "Just gotta invert the sound, then take out the distortion, re-adjust the tune... Hmmm, it looks like some of the audio was cut at the end too. Restoring the file... and there." The audio played again.

_"This is to the Hydra Force. I have vital information regarding a fugitive that you are searching for. The girl's location is in a blue house owned by the Watterson family, right next to a big purple in the town of Elmore. The address is 1026 York Street."_

_"Hey why is the light off in here?"_

_"DAD, GET OUT OF MY ROOM!"_

CJ and Lincoln were now even more surprised, and yet confused.

"It sounds like... a little girl?" Lincoln asked.

"And sounds way too intellegent." CJ said. "Magnusson, can you intercept Hydra Force's movements?"

"We'll do what we can." Magnusson said. "Head to Elmore and find that girl."

"She may also have information regarding Franz Hopper's work." Kleiner said. "We can use that against the Green Phoenix."

"Alright, You guys let Sonic know that we're heading there now, and we'll meet him and his candidates there." CJ said.

"Alright, in the meantime, you also seek out one of our oldest friends." Magnusson said. "He's also residing in Elmore as well. And he can help you."

"Who?" CJ asked.

"He's known as... The Yeti." Magnusson said. CJ's eyes widened in surprise and he gave a smile.

"Alright." CJ said. "We'll go find him too. Inform Sonic right away."

"Copy that." Magnusson said. "Good luck Jamiko." As the radio turned off, Lincoln looked back at CJ.

"Who's the Yeti?" Lincoln asked.

"You'll see." CJ said with a wink as they continued onward.

* * *

_**Meanwhile... 30 Miles Outside of Elmore**_

Sonic was tapping his foot impatiently, as if he was expecting someone. And he was. He was able to send a message to two locations, though he hoped the first message he sent managed to get out.

"I'm waiting..." Sonic said. Then, there was a sudden sound coming from the sky. Lifting his head up, he saw a small dot that got closer and closer. He saw that it was a starship moving toward his location. As it got closer, it slowed down, and slowly decended to the ground. The cockpit's door opened up from the top. From inside, out jumped a yellow looking guy doing a sommersault, and made a perfect landing. It was Ratchet, and he was wearing a Commando helmet, and a nice yellow Commando suit as well. On his back was a small metal backpack. Though it wasn't actually a backpack. It was actually Clank. For his small size, he's pretty light to carry, so Ratchet attaches him to his back like a backpack. It may look embarrassing for Clank, but it's the best way for him to keep up. And it saves him from running.

"Am I not too late?" The lombax asked.

"Actually, you're a bit early." Sonic said. The lombax gave a smile.

"Good to see you again Sonic." He spoke, shaking the hedgehog's hand.

"You too Ratchet." Sonic said.

"Ahem." A robotic voice spoke.

"And good to see you too Clank." Sonic said, with Ratchet turning himself so Sonic could see the robot, who then jumped off his back.

"Nice to meet you again Sonic." Clank said. "I hope you are staying out of trouble."

"As always." Sonic said. "Sort of... I hope you're keeping Ratchet in check."

"Yeah, he has." Ratchet said. "So, how long has it been? A month or something?"

"A month?" Sonic said. "It's been almost a year since I've seen you guys. So how's Bogon?"

"Pretty good, though Megapolis is a bit noisy in the morning." Ratchet said. "It's like Metropolis all over again."

"Better than living in a garage?" Sonic asked.

"Well to tell you the truth, the garage is actually more quiet." Ratchet said.

"I can believe that." Sonic said. "But what about you Clank?"

"Funny you should mention." Clank said. "I've recently became a star in a Holovision show. It is called _Secret Agent Clank_."

"Wait, that was really you?" Sonic asked.

"You've seen it?" Ratchet asked.

"Yeah, Tails managed to adapt our Galaxy Receiver to play TV shows." Sonic said.

"How did you manage to do that?" Ratchet asked.

"We added some antennaes on the Receiver." Sonic said. "By the way Rat, you look great as a chauffeur." The lombax rolled his eyes.

"Yeah... thanks." He said. "So anyway, why'd you call us here?"

"It's a long story." Sonic said. "I'll explain it when the others get here."

"Others?" Ratchet asked.

"Yeah, I was asked to help some guys save the world, and I'm gonna need all the help I can get." Sonic said.

"So you brought us all the way out to this planet to help you save it?" Ratchet asked.

"Better than being a chauffeur." Sonic said.

"And you expected us to help?" Ratchet asked.

"Dude, you owe me one, remember?" Sonic asked.

"He does have a point Ratchet." Clank said. "After all, you heard what Elaris said. There has been no sign of any threat to our galaxy or in the Bogon galacy for a while. Perhaps this is the perfect opportunity to help Sonic. And like he said, we do owe him for helping us."

"Like we're gonna say no?" Ratchet asked.

"Sorry, I... forgot who I was dealing with." Sonic joked, as the lombax gave a sigh and a smile.

"Well, we do have nothing better to do, so ok." Ratchet said. "So, where are the others?" Sonic turned his head, hearing the sound of a vehicle closing in.

"Right about... now." Sonic said, as a vehicle came up, slowing down and coming to a full stop in front of the three. The car nice Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Minivan, with combat armor, and the Freedom League symbol on the side the middle passenger car doors. As the motor was turned off. The driver door opened up, with the sound of someone coming out, and closing the door.

"If I'm being honest right now, I can't believe the great Sonic the Hedgehog needs our help." He said, revealing to be Jak, giving a smile as he saw the hedgehog.

"Nice to see you too Jak." Sonic said, and then looked around. "Where's Daxter?" The passenger door flung right open, revealing Daxter, who fell out of the seat and onto the ground. Luckily, the little guy got to his feet in a jiffy.

"Hello Blue Blur, and fellow peeps and cronies!" The ottsel said. "The Daxternator is back!" Yep, it was Daxter all right.

"Good to see you as well Dax." Sonic said. "Thanks again guys, for coming all this way out here."

"And you'll thank us a lot more." Jak said. "We got what your ordered."

"And it better be worth it." Daxter said. "Really took us a lot of work to do it."

"Let me guess, you got him lunch?" Ratchet asked.

"No, I asked them to pick someone up for me." Sonic said. "These guys were close to the area so I asked them to pick him up."

"And it was a hassle too." Daxter said.

"You worry too much Dax." Jak said. "And yes, we got him. Though, you should've told us what he was capable."

"I said that he would be interesting." Sonic said.

"And he was." Jak said. "But the heads up would've helped."

"I wonder who they picked up." Ratchet said.

"Perhaps somebody important." Clank said.

"Just tell me you got him in one piece." Sonic said.

"Sure did." Jak said. "Wasn't that hard to get him."

"Easy for you to say!" Daxter said. "The kid was like a morphing psycho!"

"Just don't get startled when we open the door." Jak said. "He might jump."

"Jump?" Sonic asked. "What did you do? Tie him up?"

"No, we knocked him out." Jak said.

"What did you use on him?" Ratchet asked.

"We drugged his smoothie... and then we tazed him a few times." Jak said, opening the van's side door, revealing an unconcious 16 or 17 year-old on the floor of the van, almost drooling. The boy had shaggy brown hair, his skin was pale, but very bright in color. Despite his skinny appearance, there is lot of muscle definition. He wore a white zipped up vest with bright green lining on the edges, with the sleeves reaching the boy's elbows. Engraved on the chest area was the number 10. Underneath the vest was a green shirt with black lining in the center reaching to his shoulders. His pants were brown with cargo pockets, and his shoes were green and white. On his left hand was a strange white and black watch with green details upon it. He slowly began to open his eyes, revealing bright green pupils.

This was Ben Tennsyon, a young teen hero who is very known for being the keeper and wielder of the Omnitrix, the watch that was around his wrist. The device, created by Azmuth, a Galvin that possessed great knowledge and intelligence allowed it's wielder to transform into multiple different aliens. When Ben was ten years old, he found the Omnitrix while he was on a road trip with his cousin Gwen Tennyson, a young girl who has magical abilities, and his grandfather Max Tennyson, who is actually a senior member of the Plumbers, which were intergalactic policemen. When it attached itself to his hand, Ben learned that it can transform him into different aliens. Since then, he decided to use his new abilities to protect the planet from villainous aliens from different galaxies, such as Vilgax, the Chimera Sui Generis alien warlord, and the Hybreed, aliens who were dying out.

When the boy opened his eyes, he suddenly let out a yelp, realizing that he wasn't where he thought he was. The last thing he remembered was two guys asking him to go with them for an important matter, only resulting to him suddenly passing out when he refused. He could've sworn that he was also fighting them when they attacked. Waking up, he rolled over and fell out of the van.

"Ouch." Ratchet said. The teenager quickly got back on his feet, looking around quickly, not noticing the blue hedgehog, lombax, and or the robot right in front of him. Turning to his right, he saw Jak, who gave a snerky wave, as did Daxter.

"You!" The boy said.

"You!" Daxter said back.

"What the what was that all about?!" He asked.

"We told you to come with us." Jak said.

"And I said I wasn't interested!" The boy said.

"You left us no choice." Daxter said. "And I told ya Jak doesn't take no for an answer."

"That didn't give you the right to drug me!" The boy said. "What did you put in my smoothie?"

"Just something to put you to sleep on the way here." Jak said.

"Yeah, and you left a little drool on our van." Daxter said, pointing to small puddle of drool on the floor of the van.

"Well, you should've told me what you wanted from me!" The boy said.

"We were gonna tell you on the way if you agreed." Jak said.

"Doesn't work like that." He said. "You give the reason before you ask someone for their assistance. Now who sent you? Was it Vilgax? Dr. Animo? Hex? Steam Smythey... actually I haven't seen him in years?" Behind him, Sonic only rolled his eyes, not wanting to wait until the boy realized he was right behind him.

"Ben." Sonic spoke. Hearing his name, the boy quickly turned around, then showed a face of surprise, staring at the blue blur. Shifting his whole body to stare directly at the hedgehog, there was a few moments of silence.

"Sonic the Hedgehog." Ben spoke. "You have a lot of nerve bringing me all the way out here." The blue hedgehog gave a smirk and a shrug. The boy smiled.

"Come here you." He said as the two hugged it out, both giving chuckles of joy. Yes, these two know each other quite well, much longer than the others. About six years ago, Sonic had a run in with Ben Tennyson when the latter was around eleven, almost a whole year after he found the Omnitrix. During that time, Eggman and Dr. Animo, a scientist who had the power to talk to animals, tried to turn animals into ferocious robots to take over the world. Luckily, Sonic and Ben managed to stop them, forming a strong friendship along the way. They also been in contact since then. But Ben knew that Sonic loved to surprise him whenever they would meet up.

"It's good to see you again Ben." Sonic said.

"Good?" Ben asked. "It's great to see you. Man, have you grown."

"Me?" Sonic asked. "Look at you, you're taller than I am. Then again, I'm just an anthropomorphic hedgehog, but what are you gonna do?"

"Still, it's great to see you again." Ben said, then turned back to Jak. "Why didn't you tell me he sent you?"

"I was going to." Jak said. "But again, you refused."

"Again, always give details when you ask someone to join you." Ben said. Ratchet looked at the boy, as did Clank.

"Ratchet, does he look familiar?" Clank asked. "I could've sworn I saw him on the Galactic News Channel." The lombax only stared at the boy, examining him.

"Wait a second." Ratchet said, getting the boy's attention. "Brown hair, green eyes, the number 10, Galvin watch." The lombax's eyes widened up with a gasp.

"Are you Max Tennyson's grandson?" Ratchet asked.

"Yeah... yes, I am." Ben said, a bit surprised himself. Ratchet smiled.

"Kirby!" Ratchet said, confusing Sonic, Jak, and Daxter.

"It's Ben, actually." The boy said. "Ben Kirby Tennyson."

"Whatever, You're Ben Tennyson!" Ratchet said. "The grandson of Max Tennyson!"

"Wait, you know my grandpa?" Ben asked.

"Well duh!" Ratchet said. "We heard about you guys, you're both the talk of the Solana Galaxy! How you use that Galvin watch and transform into different alien creatures, and that your grandfather is the member of the Plumbers, The Intergalactic law-inforcement organization in the entire universe! Not even the Galactic Rangers are as good as you guys! He was such a legend! Oh, by the way, I'm so sorry for the loss by the way. We would've attended his funeral, but I had to help Grimm with some stuff back on Veldin." Hearing that brought more confusion to the other guys.

"What?" Sonic asked.

"Uhh, my grandpa isn't dead." Ben said.

"Oh." Ratchet said. "Could've sworn that happened."

"Perhaps that was one of the other senior members of the organization." Clank said. "My databanks show that he's alive and well."

"Huh..." Ratchet said. "Still, he was such a phenominon back in the day. It's nice to see his bloodline's living up to his legacy."

"Comes with the territory." Ben said.

"Wait a second." Sonic said. "Your middle name is Kirby?"

"Yeah, Mom called me that when I was four or five or something." Ben said. "But hey, why did you guys bring me here?"

"Cuz, we need your help Ben." Sonic said. "The world's in danger again."

"What's the problem?" Ben asked.

"You heard of the Dark Phoenix?" Sonic asked.

"The Dark Phoenix?" Ratchet and Clank both asked in unison.

"The Dark Phoenix?" Jak asked. "What's that?"

"I've heard about those guys." Ben said. "They're some kind of terrorist group who are using kaijin monsters to do their bidding."

"The S.P.D. has asked me to help them fight against the Dark Phoenix, but I can't do it alone." Sonic said.

"The S.P.D?" Ben asked. "You mean the Space Police Delta?"

"The Space Police Delta?" Ratchet asked.

"Hmmm... according to my data records, the Space Police Delta are one of the High ranking Peace Keeping Organization in the multiverse. Well connected with the Plumbers and Galactic Rangers." Clank said.

"Well, what does this have to do with us?" Ratchet asked.

"What if I told you guys we're putting a team together?" Sonic asked.

"A team?" Ben asked.

"A team?" Ratchet and Clank asked.

"A team?" Jak and Daxter asked.

"They need a team to help stop the Dark Phoenix." Sonic said. "They asked me, and now we're getting a team formed. Plus, the ones they selected were a bunch of space men in futuristic tights. You guys were the ones I had in mind."

"Wow..." Ben said. "Well thanks for thinking of us."

"But just remember, we're in the big leagues here." Sonic said. "Which means we need to follow orders ...if we have to."

"Well, that's not new." Ben said. "Still, I'm pumped. Of course I'm in."

"Better than doing nothing back in Bogon." Ratchet said. "I'm in. Clank?"

"A most interesting proposal." Clank said. "You can include me as well."

"To be honest, I don't like following orders, but if you're part of the team, we're in." Jak said.

"We?" Daxter asked.

"Aww c'mon Dax." Jak said. "Would you rather be back in Haven City?"

"Alright, I'm in too." Daxter said. "Only because you won't last a second without me."

"Then it's settled." Ben said. "What a dream team we are." The blue hedgehog gave a smile. But then a ringing came from his pocket. He reached in and pulled out his cellphone. He then answered.

"Hello?" Sonic asked.

"Sonic the Hedgehog, it's Magnusson." Magnusson's voice spoke over the phone.

"Hey Magnusson, what's up?" Sonic asked.

"I've just spoken with Agent Miyamoto." Magnusson said. "Where are you?"

"Just picked up my crew." Sonic said. "Tell CJ that we'll meet with him at the closest town."

"Good, because we got a situation." Magnusson said.

"A situation?" Sonic said. "What situation?" The boys leaned in a bit to hear what the guy on the phone was saying.

"The Dark Phoenix has just sent their top team the Hydra Force into action." Magnusson said.

"Hydra Force?" Sonic asked.

"A group of human mercenaries who hunt down and capture monsters." Magnusson said. "They just attacked and are after one of our own."

"Really?" Sonic asked. "Where is this Hydra Force now?"

"They're in Elmore." Magnusson said. Sonic froze in place, hearing those words.

"Elmore?" Sonic asked. "Where was their last location?"

"On York Street." Magnusson said. Sonic's eyes widened with shock. He turned to the direction that leads to Elmore. "Sonic, are you there?"

"Yeah, I'm still here." Sonic said. "Are there any casualties?"

"Besides some on the street injured, no one is dead." Magnusson said, allowing Sonic to give a sigh of relief. "Head straight for Elmore. Agent Miyamoto and his ally will meet you there."

"Copy." Sonic said as he hung up, and he lowered his head. "Gumball..."

"Hey, you alright?" Ben said, getting the hedgehog's attention.

"Yeah, command wants us to head to Elmore." Sonic said. "It's a couple miles from here."

"What's the sitch?" Daxter asked. The boys looked right back at him. "What?"

"Don't say that." Ben said.

"What? Sitch?" Daxter asked.

"The whole quote." Ben said. "That's Kim Possible's line."

"Well actually her line is that she can do anything." Sonic said.

"Still, the quote he said is also her other line." Ben said. "Heroes have more than just one line."

"Alright, sorry." Daxter said.

"Well then, what is our objective then?" Clank asked.

"I'll explain when we get there." Sonic said. "CJ will meet up with us."

"Who's CJ?" Ben asked.

"S.P.D's top agent, and co-founder of the team." Sonic said. "He and his candidate's going to meet us back in Elmore."

"Who's the lucky candidate?" Ratchet asked.

"I dunno, some kid from Great Lakes City, Michigan." Sonic said. "Anyway, we better head for town."

"Then let's get going." Jak said as he headed for the driver door. As he got into the driver's seat, Ben got into the passenger's seat, much to Daxter's irritation, while Sonic, Ratchet, and Clank hopped into the backseats, closing the door behind them. In an instant, Jak started the van, and it took off, heading straight for Elmore, all of them unaware that the carnage was happening already.

* * *

_**Welcome to the Amazing Town of Elmore!**_

That's what the sign said when they passed it, just arriving in town over the hill. The neighborhood was nice and pretty, with unique characters were just minding their own business, some talking to each other, unaware of the van passing by.

"We're just entering Elmore." Sonic said. The boys looked out the window to see a nice neighborhood.

"Wow, it looks settling." Ben said.

"Don't be deceived by the looks." Sonic said. "This town can get pretty interesting."

"How interesting?" Ben asked.

"Ever seen a T-Rex? Sonic asked. "A walking Banana? A Ghost? A Whatchamocallit?"

"Uhhh... No." Ben said.

"Well this place has it all." Sonic said. "Came here almost two years ago. Met a nice family."

"Is that why you had that look on your face earlier?" Jak asked.

"Yeah." Sonic said. "They live on the street where these Hydra guys attacked. I just hope they're alright."

"Clank, can you get information on what we're up against?" Ratchet asked.

"I'm sure I can." Clank said. "Accessing the planet's satelite, checking for records of unknown origin and wanted criminals..." He began speaking as his eyes glowed and his antennae began blinking.

"How long does it take for him to get all that?" Ben asked.

"Got it." Clank said, to everyone's surprise.

"Pretty quick." Ratchet said, as Clank then projected an image of the Dark Phoenix symbol and several photos of their actions.

"According to the hidden archives, the Dark Phoenix are to be said one of the most anonymous and secretive terrorist organizations in the entire world." Clank began.  
"Reports has claimed that the organization has been using artifacts and strange technology completely foreign to this planet. The Hydra Force are one of the most vicious mercenaries of the organization, ranked right at the top. They are considered specialized and dangerous."

"So, we're going up against humans..." Daxter said. "Shouldn't be a problem."

"Don't get your hopes up Dax." Jak said. "Look..." Pointing to the front, the guys looked out to see York Street, almost completely in ruins. Some fences ripped up, some bullet marks on some of the houses, and cars completely wrecked.

"Wow..." Ben said. "They literally don't have any respect for public property." Sonic turned his head, seeing something that made his eyes widened.

"Jak, Stop the Van!" Sonic said. With that said, Jak slowed the van down to a stop, as Sonic opened the side door, quickly stepping out. Right before him was all that was left of the Watterson's home. The house was complete was gone, burnt and in ashes, with the lower level a bit intact. He rushed forward toward the house.

"Sonic, wait up!" Ben called as he followed the hedgehog inside, as Ratchet and Clank looked around, as Jak and Daxter scanned the area. They saw the next house, seeing a pair of medics carrying Mr. Robinson on a stretcher toward the Ambulance. The duo approached them.

"Hey, what happened here?" Jak asked.

"Old guy got shot." The first medic said.

"I was shot!" Mr. Robinson shouted. "Some crazy guys in these trucks shot everything in their path! They destroyed my car! What happened to my car!"

"Your car's trashed sir." The second medic said. Mr. Robinson only screamed in anger, but then he moaned in pain.

"Take it easy, we're taking you to the hospital." The medic said again.

"No, I wanna see my car!" Mr. Robinson shouted. "Woman! Help Me!" Mrs. Robinson only hissed as she helped her husband to the ambulance.

"What an jerk." Daxter said.

"You're telling me." Jak said. Sonic and Ben rushed into what was left of the house, with Ratchet following behind. The blue hedgehog looked around the living room, or what was left of it at least. The couch was gone, and the stairway was gone too.

"Looks like the stairway is not usable." Ben said. Ratchet moved pass the stairway and saw the basement door from behind the stairs.

"I'll go check the basement." Ratchet said as he went down, and Clank using his eyes to allow them to see in the dark. Ben looked to his left and saw what was still intact. A photo of the Wattersons. With Richard, Nicole, Anais, Darwin, and Gumball holding two fingers up, teeth out, and smiling awkwardly, which was the same face he made in the school photo.

"They seem like a nice family." Ben said, remembering what Sonic said about them being a nice family. Sonic was not actually listening. He was still trying to take in what he was seeing. He was praying the Wattersons were alright. The first time he met them was when he faced off against Eggman, who unleashed Chaos into the world after destroying the Master Emerald. Chaos was an entity who was driven mad by the echidnas who wanted the Chaos Emerald's power, and ended up mortally wounding it's Chao ad Tikal, it's only friend. The beast is powered by the Chaos Emeralds, and with all seven, it'd be invincible. Gumball and Darwin helped Sonic and Tails search for the Chaos Emeralds, only for them to be stolen by Eggman, who then kidnapped Amy Rose, taking their fight to the Egg Carrier, Eggman's flying fortress. With additional help from the Wattersons, Knuckles, and some help from Big the Cat. They managed to defeat Eggman, but Chaos betrays Eggman and used the Chaos Emeralds to become Perfect Chaos, and nearly flooded Station Square in Cincinnati, the city the Egg Carrier crash landed near. But Gumball managed to find the last Chaos Emerald and give it to Sonic, allowing him to become Super Sonic, and defeat Chaos once and for all. Diminished of it's anger, Chaos moved on into the Afterlife, and Sonic and his friends became close friends to the Wattersons, making a promise to visit them again soon. The memories of his adventure with them brought a smile. But it wasn't enough to help him escape the reality. But then his foot tapped on something. Looking below, he saw a metal box, covered in soot. But it was completely unharmed. Picking it up, he opened it, seeing that it was trading cards, with the one on top displaying Sonic himself.

"Are those trading cards?" Ben asked, who looked over Sonic's shoulder.

"Yeah..." Sonic said. "Kid's been collecting them since my victory against Chaos."

"Sounds like he adores you." Ben said.

"Yeah." Sonic said. Ratchet and Clank approached from the basement doorway.

"Nobody's down there." Ratchet said. "Though there was an opening on the side of the wall. Small enough for somebody to hide." Jak and Daxter then came into the house.

"Wow... what a dump." Daxter said. "Kinda reminds me of the Slumps down in Haven."

"Find anything?" Jak asked.

"No, just a box of trading cards." Ben said.

"Why would these guys be after the Wattersons?" Sonic asked. Ben looked to his left, and noticed a closet open. He looked inside, and saw that there was some stuff on the ground. He picked one of the items up, and saw that it was a photo. He examined it.

"Hey Sonic, is this family associated with the SPD?" Ben asked, making Sonic turn his head.

"What?" He asked.

"Check it out." Ben said, revealing the photo. To Sonic's surprise, it was a photo of Nicole, who looked to be in her late teens or early twenties. That could explain the longer hair down her back. She was wearing a black and white suit, almost like the ones the soldiers he saw back at the SPD base were wearing.

"That's Nicole." Sonic said, taking the photo and looking at it.

"Was she part of the SPD?" Ben asked.

"She never said anything about it." Sonic said.

"Well, it's a secret organization." Jak said. "Maybe she kept it secret. Even from her own family."

"It's the only way one can protect the ones they love." Daxter said, who then examined the photo. "Wow, she looks hot."

"Dax." Jak said, knowing what Daxter was thinking.

"I know, I know." Dax said. "I'm not messing with the sugar when we meet her." As Ratchet looked around in the kitchen, Clank, on Ratchet's back, looked out the window.

"Ratchet, look." Clank said, getting the lombax's attention. Seeing through the window, he made a peek.

"Sonic, do you think these Hydra people are guys who look like they don't wanna be followed?" Ratchet asked.

"Why?" Sonic asked as he came into the kitchen.

"Shhh... look." Ratchet said, pointing from the window. They then saw two guys wearing black armored suits, looking around. Seeing nothing, the two men moved out from the broken fence. The boys looked with suspicion.

"C'mon, let's follow them." Sonic whispered, as the others gave a nod. The group then followed the two men over the fence, completely undetected. They passed several home yards, some in which were heavily damaged or nearly destroyed. Possibly the actions of the Dark Phoenix and their cronies. After following them across the street, they managed to track them to Elmore School, which has been closed since the start of the summer, which isn't a surprise. Passing the side of the school, they saw the Elmore Stadium, a massive area of grass that is laid out as a football field. The boys then moved to the side of the entrance, and slighly moved their heads to see the field. They saw multiple mercenaries wearing suits and armor, holding guns, and the boys saw the Hydra symbol on their trucks.

"That must be the Hydra Force..." Sonic said.

"What are they doing?!" Daxter asked in a loud voice, causing the boys to hide back a bit.

"Shhhh!" They said to the ottsel.

"Sorry..." He whispered. Leaning their heads forward to see. They saw a man move away from his doom buggie, revealing to be Drex Archo. He was gazing forward, while and his men were unaware the heroes watching silently.

"No way..." Ben said, recognizing the man. "That's Drex Archo."

"You heard of him?" Jak asked.

"He used to be in the Army." Ben said. "He was expelled after he lost his arm. They say he's mad as a hatter now a days."

"Mad as a hatter?" Ratchet asked.

"Psychologically insane." Sonic said. As the group watched unseen, Drex was waiting, until one of the militia men approached him.

"He's here..." The man said.

"Good." Drex said. "Let's not keep him and us waiting." The men stood their ground, as Drex faced forward. Suddenly, a bolt of dark lightning zoomed in and landed yards in front of them.

Before them was a strange humanoid mutant kaijin. His body was white, with his left arm completely redish-black, along with his right leg. He had a huge shoulder armor plate on his right arm, while there were spikes on his left one with a yellow eye. He carried a long blade, and a coat-like cape hung from the back of his waist.

"Who dares...?" The monster asked.

_**Shadowkan General Voidus / シャドウカン将軍ヴォイドス**_

The sight of the creature surprised Sonic and the guys.

"What the hell is that?" Daxter asked.

"That's gotta be one of those Shadowkan monsters." Sonic said.

"Shadowkan?" Jak asked, looking back at Daxter, who nodded. The monster they encountered back in the Wasteland. That was a Shadowkan too!

"Who the hell is that?" The soldier asked.

"General Voidus..." Drex said. "The field commander of the Shadowkan, and right hand man of the Shadowkan-Lord..."

"S...Shadowkan?" The supervisor asked.

"Bio-engineered mutants." Drex said. "They were once part of the SHADOW-Organization, until their leader was wiped out." The shadow-mutant looked around as he approached the militia men, giving a low growl, which startled a couple of them.

"I take it you are the Hydra Force?" Voidus asked.

"That's right." Drex said. "We want to make a collaboration."

"A collaboration you say?" Voidus said, looking around. "I heard about your Dark Phoenix... that you've been capturing some of my kind to do your dirty work. And you expect me to do the same?"

"We face a common enemy." Drex said. "And we humans have a saying. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. If you help us, we'll help you."

"And what do I get in return?" Voidus asked.

"We have some of your brothers in captivity, and we can collect a few that are still on the run for you as well." Drex said. "We'll be glad to set them free for you, in exchange for a little girl, and a blue cat." The shadow-mutant general glanced at him and at his men.

"As much as I don't like working with humans, I suppose I can lend a hand." Voidus said. "I will need my crew."

"They'll be at your disposal." Drex said. "Name them down, and we'll let them go."

"First up on the list..." Voidus spoke. "_Silkoid_!"

Hearing the word, the supervisor typed in the words, and looked at the information. Lifting his head up, seeing Drex giving a nod, he clicked the button, which then transported was a mutated silkworm with a snapping dragon's head for a body.

_**Silkoid / シルコイド**_

"Yo, Whassup Bitches?!" Silkoid asked. Turning his head, he saw General Voidus.

"Hey General, what's up my man?" Silkoid asked. "We back to kill some humans and kick all their asses man!" Turning his big head, he saw Drex, the supervisor, and some of the militia with them. "Oh... we not killing anybody today?"

"Nice to see you too Silkoid..." Voidus said. "I see you've been doing well in prison."

"Yeah man, it's the bomb." Silkoid said. "They all praise me in those cells. So, what's the 411 man?"

"These specimens require our help." Voidus said. "And in exchange, they will help us."

"Okay then." Silkoid said, then looked back at the militia. "You're lucky a-holes! I'll kill you all another day."

"Alright, who's next." Drex said.

"Next up... _Lionizer_!"

"Ok, Lionizer..." The supervisor said, pulling up the archives, displaying a shadowkan warrior with the head of a lion-like creature and a robotic body with four tails with small blades on the tips, armed with two huge toothed swords. "Ok, he's a shadowkan with a lion head, four tails. He's been locked up for bank robbing, kidnapping, murder, double murder, triple murder... Hey listen, this sounds all... crazy and all, I don't think we should be letting these-" Before he could finish, however, General Voidus, with no patience, raised his sword and slammed it into the ground, causing the rocks to push up and aim straight at the supervisor.

"Ok ok ok ok ok... I didn't say I wasn't willing, I just need a consent form." The poor guy said, as Drex only gave a glare.

"Do what he said." The man said, with the supervisor giving a whimper and nod. Clicking the button, another Shadowkan materialized, revealing Lionzer.

**_Lionzer / ライオンザー_**

"Finally... to kill some flesh." Lionzer said.

"Impressive, isn't it." Drex said, as the militia man nodded. "Next on the list."

_"Reaper Robot!"_

"That's right, we're getting the gang back tonight!" A robot monster spoke, armed with pulse-blasters, a mace, and massive claws. After giving a happy note when materialized, he gave a nod in thanks to the militia.

"I want to thank you all for your hospitality." Reaper Robot said. "And you, I hope you die from getting shot in the head." He gave a laugh, while the militia men looked at each other.

_"Feather-Shadow!"_

A crawling hybrid of a lizard, beatle, and bird emerged from a cell, emitting it's razor-sharp teeth, and claws, with needles in his mouth.

**_Feather-Shadow / 羽影_**

"SCRRREEEECH!" It's what all it was saying.

_"Mecha-Neck!"_

A mutant Shadowkan cyborg stepped forward, swinging his razor-sharp talons, and gave a roar with it's machine gun head.

_**Mecha-Neck / メカネック**_

"I hope you like bullets!" Mecha-Neck said.

_"Gorgon!"_

A flying shadow-mutant emerged from the skies, complete with acid dripping claws, stinging tentacles from out of their chests, and it stuck out a long whipping tongue.

_**Gorgon / ゴルゴン**_

"I'll tear you up in the sky!" Gorgon shouted.

_"Raptor Sniper!"_

A modified raptor with cyborg armor and a sniper gun on his right arm, jumped from the tall light posts.

**_Raptor Sniper / ラプタースナイパー_**

"Prepared to be Sniped!" Raptor Sniper spoke.

_"Gray-Man!"_

A humanoid mutant armed with a bladed-lance appeared, his head chancing, ready for battle.

_**Gray-Man / グレイマン**_

"You will know no mercy!" Gray-Man said.

_"Sepultura!"_

A carrion beetle-like Shadowkan made a step forward as he was being released.

_**Sepultura / セプルトゥラ**_

"Hahahaha... who's ready for a Beeting!" Sepultura laughed.

_"Heliotoid!"_

An insectoid-looking robot materialized, with flames and fire surrounding him.

**_Heliotoid / ヘリオトイド_**

"Get ready... to BURN!" Heliotoid shouted.

"And last... but not least... _Tsuchigumo-Stinger_!"

Inside a cell was a spider-like Shadow-mutant with a scorpion's tail.

"I shall eat all of YOU!" It shouted.

"Oh Hell No!" The supervisor said. "No fucking way in Hell are we using a fucking spider, no way man!"

"No, no, no." Drex said as well. "Sorry, there are limits. Try again."

"Hmmmm, you're right, too gory." Shilubara said. "Okay ...how about..."

_"Behemoth!"_

A giant cybernetic mutant with superhuman strength and retractable claws made his entrance.

_**Behemoth / ベヒーモス**_

"You need a bigger door!" He whined in anger.

"Ok, let me just check real quick." The supervisor said as he clicked on his laptop, showing hesitation and fear at the same time. "Ok, you're clear to go!" With a click of his button, the shadowkan all materialized behind Voidus, ready for some action.

"Ok, uh... can I go home now?" The supervisor asked.

"Just one second." Drex said, and looked at Raptor Sniper. "You, blow his head off."

"Yeeesss..." Raptor Sniper said as he aimed at the supervisor.

"Wait Wait Wait No-!" The supervisor shouted, but it was too late as Raptor Sniper shot him, reducing him to ash.

"Ooooohhhh." Sonic, Ben, Jak, and Daxter said quietly.

"Oh my..." Clank said.

"That's not pretty." Ratchet said. Sonic then took out his phone and selected the camera app. Zooming in, he got a good shot of the Shadowkan warriors.

"I'll have to show this to CJ and the SPD." Sonic said. Back with the militia and the Shadowkan, Drex glanced back at Voidus.

"I gave you what you wanted, now you must keep your end of the bargin." Drex said.

"Of course." Voidus said. "It is the least we can do for you helping us. And what is this surprise you have for us?"

"You'll know when you complete the task." Drex said. "But I must ask myself. What is it that you really want?"

"We just want a home." Voidus said, putting his sword away. "Like all sentinent beings." As the conversation came to a close, a militia soldier approached Drex, holding a phone.

"Archo, we have a call, and it seems to be the anonymous tipper." He said.

"Give me the phone." Drex spoke as he swiped it from the soldier's hand.

"A tipper?" Sonic asked.

"Clank, can you intercept the phone call?" Ratchet asked.

"Check... here goes." Clank said as he squinted his eyes and activated his echo listerners.

"Is this the Hydra Force?" The caller asked in the same distorted voice.

"Yes it is, what do you want now?" Drex asked.

"I know where the girl and the Watterson family is." The caller said. "They are at the abandoned warehouse just outside the north of town."

"Thank you." Drex said. "And I must say, it is quite a surprise someone like you is helping us. Why?"

"The Wattersons are nothing to me anymore." The caller said. "They will pay dearly for the stupidness they brought to me over the years."

"Well then, we'll do you a big favor then." Drex said.

"Just remember, you never heard from me." The caller said.

"It'll be our little secret." Drex answered, and the call disconnected. He then looked at his militia.

"Alright listen up!" Drex called out. "The Wattersons and Schaeffer's Daughter is at the abandoned warehouse out of town. We capture the blue cat boy and the girl, that's our main objective. As for the rest of the family. Kill them all. HAIL THE PHOENIX!"

"HAIL THE PHOENIX!" The soldiers spoke in salute. The men moved toward their vehicles, and Drex turned to the Shadowkan.

"You scout ahead, we will follow." Drex said. "Capture the blue cat boy and the human girl. As for the others, kill them if you can." The Shadowkan general gave a grin.

"You heard the human." Voidus said to the other Shadow-kaijin. "Today, we hunt!" The monsters gave salutes, howls, and cheers as they moved out, with Drex getting into his personal vehicle and followed them, along with the other ones. As the trucks disappeared, the boys leaned their heads out from their hiding spot.

"Those guys are after the Watterson Family." Sonic said. "And what were talking about a human girl?"

"Ok, it's one thing to kidnap people, but killing them is just too far." Ben said. "And if there's one thing I don't like at all, it's people who kill people."

"Those monsters they got with them look pretty vicious." Ratchet said. "Clank, what were those things?"

"I do not know." Clank said. "I have never seen creatures like them before. Could they be from another galaxy?"

"Shadowkan." Sonic said. "They're those strange kaijin monsters from another dimension or something like that."

"Kaijin?" Ratchet asked.

"Humanoid monsters, tokusatsu warriors, demonic looking beasts, aliens and what not." Ben said.

"And you know all this because you faced monsters like that?" Jak asked.

"No, it's because I watch Power Rangers." Ben said. "It's the only japanese live-action show our country gets right... right?" Sonic, Jak, and Daxter gave a bit of meh.

"The Original Japanese ones are a bit better." Daxter said. "They include all the violence."

"Right..." Ben said.

"They said that they were Shadowkan." Jak said. "Me and Dax saw one of those monsters back in the Wasteland."

"What was it doing there?" Sonic asked.

"Not sure." Jak said. "It was causing some quakes. And it had an Eco Crystal."

"Eco Crystal?" Ben asked.

"Energy of the world, so to speak." Daxter said.

"Well, at least we know what we're up against... sort of." Ratchet said. Sonic stared down at the direction Hydra Force and the Shadowkan went. The others could see him clenching his hand tightly.

"Those guys already killed some of my friends." Sonic said. "No way I'm letting them kill even more of them." The blue hedgehog then turned his attention toward the boys.

"Are you guys ready for a test run?" He asked.

"Yeah, that's what I'm talking about." Ben said.

"You mean we have to fight against actual people?" Daxter asked. "And Monsters? And Mutants? Who are all willing to kill Us?!"

"Fine, let's bring it on." Jak said as he brought out his Macestaff, flinging it in his hand.

"Yeah, let's do this!" Ratchet said.

"So... what is the plan?" Clank asked. The blue hedgehog took a glance back at the direction the monsters left.

"Well, the good news is that they don't know we're here, so we got the element of surprise." Sonic said, and continued thinking. He then stared at Ben.

"Hey Ben, is there any chance Grey-Matter can get smaller?" Sonic asked.

"Not really." Ben said. "But there is another alien I can use that can get much smaller. Why?"

"You remember seeing Captain America: Civil War?" Sonic asked.

"Yeah, but what does that have to..." Ben said, but his eyes widened upon realization of what Sonic's plan was. "Ohhh, you mean?"

"Yep... we're gonna re-enact the Airport battle." Sonic said with a sly grin.

* * *

Just a little ways outside of Elmore, CJ and Lincoln were already near town, but they had to make a side trip to meet someone. The car turned into a long driveway near town, coming up to a house. The house was pretty small, all grey with a green roof, and a side garage right next to it. The car came to a halt, and both CJ and Lincoln exited the vehicle, their eyes upon the house.

"Is this the place?" Lincoln asked.

"According to the information, this is his house." CJ said.

"Wow, that's a small house." Lincoln said. In Lincoln's words, it was true. It was a small house. A lot smaller than Clyde's house and Ronnie Anne's flat. With him living in a big house in a big city as Great Lakes City, it was very rare of him to see small houses such as this one. Probably it's also because he was more used to living in a big house, especially since he had a big family.

"He must really love the peace and quiet." CJ said. "Not a house within a mile."

"Maybe since he's with the SPD, he probably wants to keep low profie." Lincoln said.

"I was beginning to wonder that too." CJ said as they approached the house.

"You sure we can trust this guy?" Lincoln asked.

"I trust him." CJ said. "He's one of the oldest and the best of the SPD years back, and he's an old friend of my father. Just whatever you do, don't stare."

"Why?" Lincoln asked.

"Just don't." CJ said as he knocked on the door. The door slowly opened, revealing a large white hairy humanoid yeti, though his appearance closely resembles a gorilla. Yep, it was Skips. He's the only yeti to wear blue jeans and a brown belt, with a huge structure around 6'7. He looked down to see the two.

"Hello Skips." CJ said.

"Hello." The yeti, Skips, said, his voice was deep and raspy, like an older Luke Skywalker. "If you guys are here to sell something to me, I'm not interested."

"No sir." CJ said. "My name is Jamiko Miyamoto of the SPD, the S-"

"Space Police Delta." Skips said. "Well I'll be damned, you're Ryu and Sakura's kid, right?"

"Yes." CJ said.

"Heh, I knew I'd recognize that hair from someone." Skips said. "Who's the kid with the chipped tooth?" CJ turned to see Lincoln, who had his mouth hung open with shock, staring right at Skips. Apparently while the boy tried not to, just seeing an actual yeti was enough to surprise him. CJ then snapped his fingers, getting the boy's attention.

"Oh, sorry." Lincoln said, realizing that he was staring. "Lincoln Loud... sir. Sorry, I've never seen a real life yeti before, especially in this climate."

"Well now you have." Skips said. "Anyway, you two better come in."

"Thanks." CJ said as Skips stood aside, then looked back at Lincoln.

"I am so sorry for staring by the way." Lincoln said.

"Dude, it's fine." CJ said. "I just said not to stare for shit and giggles." Giving a chuckle as he went inside, with the boy behind him rolling his eyes. As they went inside, the white-haired boy was surprised at what he was seeing. It was pretty empty, with only a bed, a TV, and an oven.

"Wow... uhhh... nice place." Lincoln said.

"Yeah, you'd get used to it." Skips said. "So, what do you boys want? I take it that the SPD wants me back, am I right?"

"Yes, Magnusson said that you'd be able to help us." CJ said.

"Eeeehhhh, I knew he couldn't keep me out of the fight." Skips said. "But for what?"

"We're dealing with a rogue terrorist group known as the Dark Phoenix." CJ said. "They're using kaijin monsters and artifacts to further their world domination goal."

"Hmmm... Kaijin you say?" Skips asked. "It's kinda surprising that humans are working with those monsters. Not even the Shadowkan would think twice to work with humans."

"The Shadowkan?" Lincoln asked. "Who are the Shadowkan?" CJ looked at the boy, then at Skips, who gave a sigh.

"The Shadowkan are demonic kaijin from the dark dimension." CJ said, summoning his tablet to display a hologram of various Shadowkan monsters in all shapes in sizes. "They travel across the multiverse to enslave and destroy the worlds that dwell within it. They were once led by Lord Destruction, who wants nothing but to take over the world, and that world is Earth. With his Shadowkan army, he will do so if nothing is done." Seeing the holograms and images, Lincoln was quite surprised by what he was seeing.

"Whoa..." Lincoln said. "Wait, you said, once led? You mean this... Lord Destruction is no more?"

"Pretty much." Skips said. "And five years ago, he was beaten... by him." The yeti pointed directly at CJ.

"Wait, you defeated him?" Lincoln asked. "When you were only 10?!"

"Eleven, actually." CJ said. "And yeah, I defeated him..." The white haired boy noticed a concern look on CJ's face, showing some uncertainty.

"You ok?" Lincoln asked.

"It's just that, even though I defeated him, I'm still unsure." CJ said. "He said that we would meet again, even though he exploded in pieces. Most of his army collapsed when he was destroyed, but there have been a handful that have survived. The SPD have been trying to round them up ever since. I just have this feeling that he will be back."

"I guess I can't blame you there." Lincoln said.

"Thanks." CJ said.

"Still, I can't believe the SPD needs me again." Skips said. "After fourteen years since we've disbanded, they actually want me back?"

"We?" Lincoln asked. With that, the yeti made his way to the garage door.

"Here, let me show you something." He said as he opened the door, stepping inside. The two followed suit, seeing some boxes stacked up, along with various objects inside, suxh as a Victorian-Era pram, a telescope, a ship wheel, an oil heater, and a synthesizer with the name Gary on it. Under a stack of boxes was a device called the Hologram 9000.

"Don't touch anything." Skips said as he flicked a switch, revealing a rectangular hole near the wall on the ground, opening up and revealing a large shelve of several weapons, such as blasters, swords, even a massive Cannon Gun, most likely his signature weapon. Next to it popped out a table, revealing medals, and photos.

"Wow." Lincoln said.

"I was with the SPD for years, especially with their special ops task force known as the A-Squad. Founded nearly thirty years ago, we worked together and took on several monsters and kaijin that threatened the whole universe. Kinda feel like the old days." CJ and Lincoln looked at the weapons and photos. While CJ was impressed, Lincoln couldn't help but smile.

"Cool." He said. His eyes then glanced forward at the photos, seeing one in particular, which showed several characters in battle gear. One of them was Skips, in which he had brown hair on top of his head. CJ recognized one of the men in particular, holding a Samurai sword. It was his own father, Ryu.

"Is that?" CJ asked.

"Yep, that's your father." Skips said. CJ was amazed to see the picture of his father. He was probably CJ's age around that time. The white-haired boy next to him could tell there was emotional stuff going on in his eyes.

"You ok?" He asked.

"Yeah..." CJ said. "It's been a long time since I've seen my father. He died when I was only three, along with my mother."

"Oh..." Lincoln said. "I'm sorry to hear that." The boy then glanced back at the photo, and noticed someone interesting. While he didn't recognize her, he noticed that the figure was not human. She was an anthropomorphic cat, with longer hair and dark blue eyes.

"Who's that?" Lincoln asked.

"That... is Nicole Watterson... one of the best of the SPD... and my old partner." Skips said. "Nicole joined it when she was only fifteen, right after she finished high school."

"She finished Highschool at age fifteen?" Lincoln asked. "That's amazing. Guess my sister Lisa's gonna have some competition to beat that score."

"Yeah, she was dealing with a lot of pressure from her parents." Skips said. "They were very snobby, working business people, forcing her to take extracurricular activities. In short, they were assholes. Sorry you had to hear me say that."

"It's cool." Lincoln said. "Everybody in my home curses once in a while, even my three year-old sister curses too."

"Hehe..." Skips gave a chuckle, but then returned to the topic. "As I was saying, they were pretty much why she ran away and joined up with us. She rose up the ranks and became one of the youngest members to become a lieutenant general. We all thought that she should take the General exam, but she decided against it, and letted Arne Magnusson take it. Still kinda wish she'd stay."

"Why'd she leave?" CJ asked.

"She had a kid, that's why." Nicole said. "Well, now she's got two... or three if you count the fish with legs."

"Fish with legs?" Lincoln asked.

"Trust me, Elmore may look like a simple town, but there are lots of extradinary things around." Skips said. "You should see the people I work with."

"So where is Nicole now?" CJ asked.

"She lives in town." Skips said. "She would come by once in a while to chat, but her job and her kids keep her pretty occupied, and into trouble."

"Trouble?" Lincoln asked. "Let me guess, her kids cause chaos once in a while, like damaging the house, causing trouble at school, and doing crazy antics for no reason?" The yeti stared at the boy, then looked at CJ.

"He has ten sisters." CJ said. "All of them with different unique traits."

"Is that why his hair is so white?" Skips asked.

"No, it's actually a genetic trait." Lincoln said. "Runs in my mom's side of the family."

"Ohhh..." Skips said. "But yeah, he kids do cause trouble once in a while, even when they don't intend to. However, some stuff happened last year and her oldest son has been dealing with depression. Though yesterday, Mordecai and Rigby told me he was in better spirits."

"Who?" Lincoln asked.

"Some of the guys I work with." Skips said.

"When did they last see them?" CJ asked.

"Mordo and Rigs saw them while they were out." Skips said. "They saw them both talking to some some pink haired girl. Probably his new girlfriend." Lincoln and CJ froze hearnig the words pink haired girl.

"Wait, did this pink haired girl also have green eyes?" Lincoln asked.

"From Mordecai and Rigby's description, yeah... Why?" Skips asked.

"She's someone we're looking for." CJ said. "The SPD has asked us to find her before the Dark Phoenix does."

"What does the Dark Phoenix want with some girl?" Skips asked.

"She's Franz Hopper's daughter." Lincoln said. The yeti looked at the boy, showing he didn't know what he was talking about. "Waldo Schaeffer? You never heard of Franz Hopper? He's a scientist he worked on Project Carthage in the field of quantom physics."

"Carthage?" Skips asked. "Yeah I've heard of it, but I don't know anyone named Schaeffer or Hopper. Nowadays the SPD doesn't tell me anything... The US devision, at least."

"Yeah, that's kinda odd." CJ said. "Anyway, we better find Nicole and talk to her son."

"We talk to her son, we find the girl." Lincoln said.

"We find the girl, we get her into safe hands." CJ said. Before they could say anymore, a ringing was heard from an old ITT 500BLK Cortelco Rotary Phone.

"What's that?" Lincoln asked.

"My phone, that's what." Skips said as he approached it.

"That's a phone?" Lincoln asked. "I've never seen anything like it."

"That's because you don't live a long time like I do." Skips said, who then answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey... Whaddup Skips?" Mordecai's voice is overheard. "You're not busy by any chance, aren't you?" Noticing the nervousity in the blue jay's voice, the yeti gave a sigh.

"Hey Mordecai." Skips said. "What did you guys do this time?"

"Uhhhh... well, funny you should mention that... um..." Mordecai said.

"Lemme tell him!" Rigby shouted.

"Rigby, quiet!" Mordecai shouted.

"Skips, You Gotta Help Us!" Rigby shouted. "Some crazy guys are after us!"

"What guys?" Skips asked.

"We don't know!" Mordecai shouted. "These dudes in weird suits were chasing after Gumball and his family, and some metal psycho with silver hair and a metal arm killed Benson!" Skips froze in place, his eyes widened a bit.

"What?" Skips asked.

"Uhhh, Benson's dead!" Rigby shouted. "Which isn't our fault by the way-"

"No No, the first part!" Skips said. "Some guys were chasing after the Wattersons?"

"Yeah, they had this weird symbol on their cars, and it looked like a Hydra's head!" Mordecai said.

"And they're being led by some crazy dude with white hair and some metal arm that turns into a sword and gun!" Rigby shouted. "He nearly sliced my forehead off!..."

"Drex Archo..." CJ said, getting the Yeti and Lincoln's attention.

"The leader of the Hydra Force?" Lincoln asked.

"The Dark Phoenix's Elite Troops." Skips said, then turned his attention back to the phone. "Where are you guys?"

"We're at an old warehouse up north!" Mordecai said.

"But they're gonna find us and kill us!" Rigby shouted. "Please Help Us Skips!"

"We're on our way!" Skips said. "You boys stay right there, ok?"

"Sure!" Mordecai said. "But please hurry!"

"Wait, who's we?" Rigby asked in the background as Skips hung up.

"Wattersons?" CJ asked. "That's who the Hydra Force are after?"

"They were the family that had Hopper's daughter in their home!" Lincoln said.

"Then We better go help them out." Skips said as he went to the shelves to grab some gear. But then CJ's own cellphone began ringing about. The Japanese boy answered it.

"Hello?" CJ asked.

"Hey CJ, you there?" Sonic asked.

"Sonic." CJ said. "Yeah, I'm here."

"Dude, is that really him?!" Lincoln's asked.

"Yeah, that's him." CJ said.

"I take it that's your partner." Sonic said.

"Sure is." CJ said. "Anyway, where are you guys?"

"Well, where are you?" Sonic asked.

"At an old friend's house." CJ said. "Real close to Elmore. What about you?"

"We're just leaving the school's football stadium." Sonic said. "Those Phoenix dudes Magnusson told me about. They were here."

"You saw them?" CJ asked.

"Yeah, and they got some help." Sonic said. "From those Shadow Monsters. I've sent you a picture of them. Did you get it?" Looking at his phone, he saw the message icon.

"Yeah, I got it." CJ said, clicking on the message icon, then it displayed the herde of Shadowkan, consisting of Silkoid, Lionzer, Reaper Robot, Feather-Shadow, Gorgon, Raptor Sniper, Gray-Man, Sepultura, Heliotoid, Behemoth, and General Voidus. Lincoln's eyes widened a bit upon seeing the picture.

"Whoa..." He said. "Are those...?"

"Yep." CJ said, recognizing most of them, including one with the battle sword. "Looks like Hydra Force got help from General Voidus. The right hand man of Lord Destruction."

"And that's his crew?" Lincoln asked.

"Uh-Huh." CJ said. "Doesn't make sense though. The Shadowkan don't usually work with humans."

"You did kill their leader, so they might be getting desparate." Lincoln said.

"The Shadowkan working with the Dark Phoenix?" Skips asked. "That means something is up, and it's not good."

"They're also after a family I know." Sonic said. "They said they're gonna capture Gumball and some girl, and kill the others. We have to stop them."

"Where are they headed?" CJ asked.

"At an abandoned warehouse just outside the town up north." Sonic said.

"Alright, you follow them, and do not engage them until we get there." CJ said.

"Dude, I'm not risking waiting around so they can kill them." Sonic said. "I need to help them." CJ sighed. He was hoping Sonic wouldn't jump right into action. But considering the family are Sonic's friends, he doesn't want them killed.

"Ok, stall them until we get there, alright?" CJ asked.

"You got it man." Sonic said. The message ended.

"I'm surprised you got the blue hedgehog to agree to help you out." Skips said.

"It was a bit difficult, but he agreed." CJ said.

"So, what's the plan?" Lincoln asked.

"Good news is, Hydra Force doesn't know about us, so we got the advantage." CJ said.

"We better head there now." Skips said, taking a massive weapon with him. He then made his way to open the garage.

"So... this is where the fun begins." Lincoln said.

"That's right." CJ said. "We're going to do a test run. Oh, and I almost forgot." Taking his bag, he pulled out a case, and tossed it to Lincoln. "Put it on." Confused, the boy opened the box, and his eyes widened a bit.

"Is this for me?" Lincoln asked.

"Actually, it's SPD property, but it'll suit you." CJ said with a wink. Lincoln looked back into the box, and pulled out the cosmetic. He then placed it on his head, with the visor beginning to glow.

"Let's do this." He said.

* * *

**0.5!**

**Well, that's the end of this chapter! We're just one more step... or half a step away from finally bringing everybody together!**

**Hydra Force recruiting General Voidus and his crew is heavily based on the scene from Transformers: The Last Knight, where the TRF (Transformers Reaction Force) recruit Megatron and his Decepticons to hunt down Cade and the Autobots. The Shadowkan themselves have been given some personality for comical relief.**

**The dialogue and written text for their introductions were intentional, so bear with me.**

**Oh, and Shelia is my grandmother's name (from my mom's side). Great woman.**

**So anyway, we're almost there...**

**Also, a huge thanks to Kainsword-Kaijin, who created and designed the Shadowkan!**


	18. Chapter 18: Test Run Assembled

_**Ok people, This Is It! It's time! Get ready for a big fight, because it's gonna be one big one! Everything has been leading up to this moment, where some backstory will be revealed, our heroes will finally unite, and even some will become unlikely heroes themselves.**_

_**This chapter was a fun one to write, and I'm glad to share it will all of you! Get ready... Get set... Oh screw it, Let's Go!**_

* * *

_**Chapter 18: Test Run / Assembled**_

_**Back at the Warehouse**_

It was quiet, sometime around 6:00 PM, with the sun beginning to reach the horizon. Gumball, Darwin, Aelita, and Carrie were up on the second floor of the warehouse taking a rest. They have been through a lot today, and they deserved some sleeping. Darwin and Carrie leaned against each other, while Gumball and Aelita were snuggling against each other. As the girl laid on the mattress, the blue cat was resting against her chest, his right hand rested on the girl's pregnant stomach, covered by her own hand, and their other hands holding each other's. Nicole was watching from the top of the stairs. Seeing her kids resting peacefully brought a smile to her face. Despite Anais's betrayal to the family and abandoning them, the mama cat was relieved that her son was able to keep it together. Him asking about if he was one of those monsters, she was dreading that he wouldn't handle the truth. But he took it more well than he thought, and she was glad that he didn't ask for all the details. Besides, he wasn't a monster. He wasn't like them. He was willing to protect his family and loved ones. Perhaps because he was still himself, somewhere underneath the monstrous transformation he undergoes.

But now she had to stop thinking about that for now. The more important thing they needed to do was get somewhere safe. The mama cat made her way down the stairs, and approached the bag she brought with them before their house exploded to smitherines. Opening it up, there were still weapons inside. Some small pistols, the minigun Richard used eariler, a energy staff, and a shock blaster. But underneath them all was a pair of white gauntlets with blue glowing lines, that were thin and smooth. Nicole reached for them and placed them on her hands. Clenching her hands together, from the tip of the knuckles erupted two energy claws, similar to Wolverine's claws. She gave a sigh, and a face of deterimination. The mama cat had a life that her kids never knew about, one that she was hoping to put behind her. But now... Now with everything that's happened. She'd have no choice to return to that life. Whatever it takes to protect her family.

Tommy was watching from the doorway next to the strip doors. He was keeping a watchful eye out for any suspicious activity, and the sign of the black trucks they encountered eariler that day. Knowing these freaks, Hydra Force would soon be here, and he had to be ready if they did. He wasn't going to let them take away Aelita.

"Hey..." Turning his head he saw Nicole approaching him.

"Hey yourself." Tommy said, and then noticed her gauntlets in her hands. "Let me guess, you wanna kick my ass still?"

"No, just keeping watch in case they come back." Nicole said.

"Me too." Tommy said. The two stared out from the doorway, watching and waiting.

"Look... I'm sorry for the rough introduction back there." Tommy said.

"Me too." Nicole said. The mama cat glanced back at the boy. She didn't know a thing about him, except the small details he gave her, including his parents, who he was very critical about.

"Sooo, your parents." Nicole said.

"What about them?" Tommy asked.

"You said that your dad barely cares about you, your brother hates you and your mom is in jail." Nicole said.

"Why do you wanna know?" Tommy asked.

"I'm just curious." Nicole said. The boy turned away, hoping he didn't have to explain, but he knew he couldn't keep quiet about it.

"My dad was both a dumbass and an asshole, he would sell some of my stuff without even telling me, and he left me in the woods when a bear attacked our campsite." Tommy said. "That was pretty much the last straw that made me run away. My brother, he pretty much abuses me, much in a physical way. They're both dumbasses, and they didn't care much about me."

"And your mom?" Nicole asked.

"Eh, she cared... but I can't say that I would call her mom anymore, especially after what she did in secret." Tommy said.

"You said that she was in jail." Nicole said. "For what?"

"She slept with my friend Gus, though I wouldn't call him a friend either." Tommy said as he rolled his eyes. "She had sex with them a couple years ago."

"Oh my gosh..." Nicole said a bit shocked. "She slept with a minor?"

"Yeah... and she had his kid too." Tommy said. "The investigation into the matter revealed a lot about her."

"Like what?" Nicole asked.

"She used to be a porn star." Tommy said. "She would sleep with other men, have sex for fun, get knocked up, and have sex while so." The mama cat's eyes widened. His mom was involved with pornagraphy? Dear god, she thought.

"How long has it been going on?" Nicole asked.

"Before and after I was born." Tommy said quickly. "Worse part was that she did those films when she was pregnant with me. Makes me sick to even think about it." He leaned forward a bit and kicked the wall he was leaning against. No doubt that was in anger.

"What about your friends?" Nicole asked.

"Eh... I don't talk to Gus anymore, since he slept with my mom and sometimes bail out on me whenever we get into trouble." Tommy said. "And Lola... well... she was my best friend. She's the father of a Diplomat from Africa. She was always there for me whenever me and Ro would get into trouble with some of the bad guys we faced off against. She'd always stand by my side." He lowered his eyes with a smile, showing a tint of red on his cheeks.

"Sounds like you were more than friends." Nicole said.

"Well, I didn't see it actually." Tommy said. "But a friend we met back then helped me realize it... and... well... I guess you can say we became more than just friends... But now... now she's...

"What happened?" Nicole asked.

"Well, her family has had some history with the Shadowkan, since some of them killed her mother and were trying to capture her when she was... five or six, I don't know." Tommy continued. "Four years ago, Dr. Kamikazi managed to open a wormhole to their dimension and brought some of them here. Like I said, we closed the portal and sucked almost all of them back in. But some of them didn't go back. And a year later, Lola was kidnapped by them. It was kinda sad... That was the last time I ever saw of her..."

"That's sad." Nicole said.

"I know." Tommy said. "Since then, I've been on my own. Well not technically on my own, because Robotboy's been by my side. He's the best friend anyone could ever have." The mama cat gave a smile. She was surprised how a small robot boy could be not only friendly, but also become a massive fighting robot too.

"Sooo... how did you find out about Aelita?" Nicole asked.

"Professor Moshimo." Tommy said. "He's one of the most brilliant minds in the world. He created Robotboy. Six months ago, after the whole Black Arms Invasion, we received a distress signal from his home, and we found his place ransacked. Turned out he was kidnapped, but he left a video for us to tell me to find her. So I went to the academy she used to go to, and done my homework investigating. Turns out Moshimo was right. I spent the whole time trying to find her, but couldn't find any trace. I was on the verge to give up until I saw her with your son."

"How did Moshimo know about her and Franz Hopper?" Nicole asked.

"He was also part of the Carthage Project too." Tommy said. "They were a team together along with other scientists who were trying to build a device that would allow them to travel from one place to another."

"A teleportation device." Nicole said.

"A dimensional warpgate." Tommy said. "Like the one Dr. Kamikazi was using, but an actual gate. They both found out the militia they were working with were going to use the Project to take over the world. They both escaped with the help of someone from the Plumbers. Plumbers are-"

"Intergalactic Police." Nicole said. Tommy raised an eyebrow, knowing the mother knew something.

"I guess now we should be talking about you." Tommy said. The mama cat gave a sigh. She was hoping not to explain her old life. But he told her about his ordeal, so now it's time she returned the favor.

"I used to work with the Space Police Delta." Nicole said. "I was considered one of the youngest female and top agent of the entire US Devision of the SPD. I was part of a special ops team known as the A-Squad. You should've seen us back in the day. We were fierce, dedicated, and we worked so well as a team. They thought about making me the head of the US Devision, but I let my old buddy Magnusson have it. Besides, I was thinking about settling down and starting a family with Richard."

"Is that why you left?" Tommy asked.

"No..." Nicole said. She looked up, seeing Gumball and Aelita sleeping peacefully together. "My last mission, I was helping some old friends who were attacked by the Shadowkan, the monsters who the SPD were fighting against. I was late in my pregnancy with Gumball. I was helping them escort their son somewhere safe, but I was attacked from behind, and I got scratched here." Nicole lifted her shirt up, revealing some scars on her stomach.

"Ouch." Tommy said.

"Yeah..." Nicole said. "After that, I felt so sick, and there was some complications with my pregnancy. Turns out the monster who scratched me infected us both with some deadly virus. I thought I was going to lose him. But the SPD was able to save him by injecting some alien blood into me. It worked, and I gave birth to him after that. He was perfectly healthy. That's why I left the S.P.D, so I could be there for my family. I wouldn't trade them for the world." Tommy rose up and looked at the mother's son.

"You know, when I saw him when he turned into a... Shadowkan." Tommy began. "I think the virus and the alien blood made him that way. The virus made him part Shadowkan, and the alien blood made him invincible to anything thrown at him."

"I was beginning to wonder." Nicole said.

"Did you know he was part Shadowkan?" Tommy asked.

"I found out last year, after he attacked Jamie." Nicole said. "The girl was messing with him and Darwin one day and she tried to cook Darwin alive. Gumball lost it and he... he attacked Jamie when his... features grew. I found him in the middle of the night with blood on his hands and teeth. He was going to attack me, but Darwin showed up and managed to snap him out of it.. I saw him when he was... that. I realized that he was one of those monsters... and the worse part is... he ended up inheriting my rage. He was a sweet boy, and he still is, more like his father. But I guess he possesses the rage I still have." Nicole only lowered her head, with a tear dripping from her eye.

"He seems to be controlling it well." Tommy said.

"Yes... though there are times when he would lose it if he gets jumped or attacked." Nicole said. "Luckily he manages to keep it in check, and Darwin would make sure he didn't go too far like he did when those Hydra guys attacked us." Nicole lifted her head up, and saw Gumball cuddling with Aelita. A smile formed on her face, and Tommy saw this too.

"She must mean the world to him." Tommy said. "I'm glad that he was able to protect her."

"You heard what Gumball said, have you?" Nicole asked, referring to Aelita's pain and suffering in the past year.

"I still can't believe she went through so much trauma." Tommy said. "She loses her friends, gets kidnapped by those creeps, gets experimented on and now... she's carrying a baby." He slowly leaned against the wall, sliding down slowly to his knees, rubbing his head in shame, with guilt taking over. "If I'd learned about her sooner... maybe she wouldn't have been through all that."

"Well, now you can be there for her." Nicole said. "And so will we." The blonde lifted his head up, and gave a smile.

"I wanna say thank you for looking after her for me." Tommy said.

"And thank you too, for helping us back there." Nicole said.

"Does this mean we're cool?" Tommy asked.

"Don't push your luck blondie." Nicole said, as the boy rolled his eyes. Soon, Richard approached them with a defeated sigh.

"I couldn't find Anais." Richard said. "I hope she doesn't get hurt out there." The mama cat gave a sad sigh.

"I guess she made her choice." Nicole said. "She thinks we don't love her anymore."

"Don't mean to be critical, but that was pretty cruel of her selling you guys out back there." Tommy said. Hearing that made Nicole look out the door. With Anais saying that they would pay, no doubt she probably went to those murderers and told them where they were.

"We may have to hurry." Nicole said. "It's only a matter of time before they find us."

"Where will we go?" Richard asked.

"There's only one place where we'll be safe." Nicole said. "The S.P.D."

"But Nicole, you haven't spoken with those guys for fourteen years." Richard said. Tommy turned his head to the outside.

"Don't worry, Richard." Nicole said. "I've already sent a distress signal... I just hope they receive it soon."

"What distress signal?" Mordecai spoke as he and Rigby appeared from the left.

"Just some friends." Nicole said. "They can get us out of here."

"Hey, if it makes you feel better, we just called Skips." Mordecai said.

"Yeah, he'll be here." Rigby said.

"Wait, how'd you get in contact with someone?" Tommy asked.

"There's an old phone booth out back." Mordecai said. "It still works."

"I would've used my phone, but Gumball busted it up." Rigby said.

"S...Skips?" Nicole asked in surprise. "Wait, how do you guys know Skips?"

"He works at the Park." Mordecai said.

"Wait, how do _you_ know Skips?" Rigby asked.

"He's my old partner." Nicole said. "From the SPD."

"The SPD?" Mordecai asked. "Wait... You mean the Space Police Delta?"

"Wait, how do you know about the SPD?" Nicole asked.

"Dude, Skips told us all about it during his war-stories!" Rigby said.

"Wait..." Tommy said, looking at the outside, as if he was sensing something.

"What is it Mysterious Hero with the cool-ass robot?" Richard asked.

"What?" Nicole asked.

"It's the nickname I gave him." Richard said. "He did save our lives, didn't he?"

"Shhh! Something's out there." Tommy said.

On the upper floor of the Warehouse, Darwin was sleeping with his body against the wall, with Carrie sleeping next to him. The poor guy doesn't usually sleep well without his fish bowl. At least his ghost lover was there to keep him company. Gumball and Aelita however, were sleeping on the floor, in each other's embrace. Suddenly, the blue cat was twitching a bit, but then stopped. His eyes opened, showing them black with his pupils glowing yellow. He lifts his head up, and gets up to his feet. He then leaves, his footsteps waking Darwin up from his sleep. Opening his eyes, he saw Aelita alone, and Gumball not there. A bit confused, he turned his head, seeing his brother walk down the stairs.

"Huh?" He thought, raising himself up, unknowingly allowing Carrie's face to land on the floor, making her wake up.

"Darwin?" Carrie asked as she got up, following the fish. Darwin looked over the stairway ledges, seeing his brother heading outside.

"Gumball?" He asked, and went down the stairs to catch up with his brother. The blue cat walked outside the warehouse, moving about fifteen feet away from the building, staring up at the sky. Darwin and Carrie emerged from the doorway, with the orange fish moving closer to the blue cat.

"Gumball?" Darwin asked. "Dude?" Raising his fish arm, he tapped the boy's shoulder. The blue cat turned around, showing his black eyes with yellow pupils. The fish boy backed away a bit.

"Gumball...?" He asked with fear in his voice. "Are you ok?" Carrie's eyes widened, fear striking her for the first time in years.

"Nooo..." She spoke, seeing the blue cat's eyes.

"They're Heeeeeere!" Gumball said as his head twisted a bit.

"AHHH, He's Possessed!" Darwin shouted, and then gave a strong slap to his face. The blue cat's eyes reverted to normal, and he gave a scream in pain.

"OW!" Gumball shouted. "What the w- Ow! Dude, what the what is wrong is you?!"

"I'm sorry man, you had that creepy smile on your face." Darwin said.

"Wha... what creepy smile?" Gumball asked, but then looked around, trying to figure out why he was outside. "Wait, why am I outside?"

"Dude, you were walking down the stairs and you came out here." Darwin said. "Your eyes were glowing yellow again."

"I was?" Gumball asked. "I don't even remember doing that."

"Huh... well it was kinda creepy." Darwin said, but then stared back at Carrie, who was almost white as a sheet. Well she is white as a sheet because she was a ghost, but to explain it better, she looked terrified.

"Carrie, are you ok?" Darwin asked.

"He's... He's One Of Them!" Carrie said.

"Huh?" Gumball asked. "What are you talking about?"

"Gumball, you're one of the Shadowkan!" Carrie said.

"Shadowkan?" Gumball and Darwin asked.

"You mean those monsters that Mom and that blonde kid was talking about?" Gumball asked.

"Yes, they're Kaijin from another world who wants to destroy ours!" Carrie said. The two looked at her with confusion. "Japanese Tokusatsu demons!" The two still looked confused. "Seriosuly, you guys never watched Super Sentai or Kamen Rider?!"

"Uhhh... we watched Power Rangers, does that count?" Gumball asked. The ghost gave a defeated sigh.

"They're monsters from another world." Carrie said.

"But how do you know this stuff?" Darwin asked. The ghost then felt uneasy, as if she didn't want them to ask that. She took another sigh and turned away.

"I was only four years old when it happened." Carrie said. "I was a human girl, a long time ago. But then suddenly, I was attacked by one of those monsters. He did... horrible things to me... horrible... horrible things..." A couple tears escaped her eyes, showing pain and horror. "And when he was done, he killed me, causing me to become a ghost." Darwin only looked with remorse, as Gumball looked a bit confused.

"Oh, my sweet Carrie." Darwin said as he embraced her. "I'm so sorry to hear that." The ghost then wrapped his arms around her lover tightly, nuzzling him for comfort.

"Wait a second, I thought you said you were born a ghost." Gumball said.

"I was born a ghost." Carrie said. "But I was given a human body when I was born and I've been a fleshy girl until I was killed."

"Um... I don't even know how to respond to that." Gumball said. "So... what else was I doing?"

"Well, after I tapped your shoulder, you just stared at us and said they're heeeeere." Darwin said.

"They're here?" Gumball asked. But then, he gasped in shock and realization. "They're Here!"

* * *

The girl was asleep, which was surprising with everything she's been through the whole day. Her head began turning however, either she was dreaming, or something else.

"Aelita..."

"Aelita...!"

The voice got her attention. Opening her eyes, she saw someone up close to the ceiling. She knew who it was. It was the yellow fairy that she's been seeing in the past couple days.

"It's you..." Aelita said.

"Aelita, wake up!" The fairy said. "They're here! They're Here!" The girl's eye widened, realizing what she was saying. She then lifted herself up.

"Aelita!" Gumball's voice called out. Turning her head, she saw the blue cat running up the stairs to her.

"Aelita!" Gumball said. "They-"

"I know..." She said, with fear taking over once more. "They're Here!" Then suddenly, there was noise outside. Looking out the window, they saw Black Jet Trucks. A dozen of them approaching the Warehouse really fast. Tommy's eyes widened upon seeing them.

"Uh oh..." Tommy said. "I better get Robotboy!"

"Oh Shit, They're coming!" Mordecai shouted as he ran back into the facility. "Gumball! Darwin! They're Found Us! They're Coming!"

"They're already here...!" Nicole said, and leaned her head back into the warehouse. "Kids, stay upstairs, we'll let you know when to run!" Gumball and Darwin gave a nod, and Gumball took Aelita's hand.

"C'mon!" Gumball said as they hid behind window, with Darwin and Carrie following suit.

"I don't like this... I don't like this." Darwin said as he hugged Carrie. Aelita was beginning to hyperventilate, clinging onto Gumball, who had his arms around her.

"It's gonna be ok Aelita." Gumball said. "I won't let them hurt you. It's going to be fine." As the kids hid, Tommy ran over and picked up his watch. Pressing a button, Robotboy flew out of the backpack, activated and ready.

"What wrong Tommy?" Robotboy asked.

"Brace yourself Ro." Tommy said. "They're here. Ready?" The robot gave a nod.

"Robotboy ready..." Robotboy said. With a nod, the blonde boy and the robot headed for the door, while Mordecai and Rigby looked around.

"What do we do?!" Mordecai asked as Nicole and Richard came inside.

"Here!" Nicole said, getting her back full of weapons. "Richard, take the minigun!" She tossed the massive minigun to Richard.

"Uh... ok!" Richard said, still nervous holding the massive gun.

"You two, take these!" Nicole said as she tossed the Shock Blaster and the Battle Staff to Mordecai and Rigby.

"Whoa..." Mordecai said.

"Sweet!" Rigby said.

"C'mon!" Nicole said as he placed the Battle Axe and bag over her shoulder. "Let's Go!" They followed out the door while the others waited inside and hid on the upper floor. Gumball lifted his head up, followed by Aelita, Darwin, and Carrie, seeing Nicole, Richard, Tommy, Robotboy, Mordecai, and Rigby head outside with weapons in arms, ready to fight, just as the black trucks pulled up closer. The trucks skid and came to a stop, just as militia mercenaries came out with their guns and everything. The men all pointed with their firearms, armed and ready.

"They got guns..." Rigby said.

"I know dude." Mordecai said. "Shut up..." Then, a black doombuggie with armored details approached and moved up past the other trucks. Stepping out of it was none other than Drex Archo. The sight of the man made Aelita whimper and cling closer to Gumball. Slamming the buggie's door, the man stepped forward, passing his militia troops, and his metal claw ready. Nicole quickly stood her ground, and Tommy activated his energy sword and Robotboy giving an angry glare. Richard nervously held his Minigun, while Mordecai and Rigby stood with their own arsenal, trying to keep a steady stance, though there was nervousity in them as well.

"Nicole Watterson..." Drex said. "Former Agent for the Space Police Delta. I knew I'd recognize you from somewhere." From their hiding spot, the kids were hearing what they were saying, including the last bit.

"Space Police Delta?" Gumball and Darwin asked.

"That was the old me..." Nicole said. "And you guys just brought her back."

"With you being a mother of three." Drex said. "I have to ask, how is it that you're still in top shape."

"I've been through the most gruesome training that had ever existed on this planet." Nicole said.

"You certainly were taught by somebody." Drex said. "Was it Hokuto? Konoha? Or Mr. Miyagi?"

"No... it was the teaching of life." Nicole said. "I have raised three kids and one husband." Tommy then glanced at Richard in confusion.

"Let me guess, you're a man-child aren't you." Tommy said.

"Actually I'm more of a chubby Peter Pan, but I sometimes I do question my role as a father though." Richard said.

"It's going to take more than your skills to defeat us this time." Drex said. "Allow me to show you all, the wrath of the Shadow Monsters." Extending his hand out, shadows began to emerge from behind, and then suddenly a surge of dark lightning slammed into the ground, revealing General Voidus, with his sword in his hand. Feather-Shadow flew in from above, with Raptor-Sniper, Silkoid, and Grey-Man riding on it's back. Making a perfect landing, the Shadowkan soldiers leaped off and joined the others. Gorgon flew in, using his feet to carry Lionizer, and dropped him into the battlefield. Behemoth, with Sepultura and Mecha-Neck on his shoulders, came into the area as well, with Heliotoid using his flames to fly in, and Reaper-Robot also joined. Everyone froze in place, surprised by the sight of the monsters.

"Holy..." Mordecai spoke.

"Shit..." Rigby finished.

"Ahhh!" Richard shouted. "What are those things?!"

"It can't be..." Nicole said, her facing showing a face of horror, as if something came back to haunt her once again.

"The Shadowkan." Tommy said. From their hiding spot, Gumball, Darwin, Aelita, and Carrie were watching, all of them surprised by what they were seeing.

"Wh...what are those things?" Aelita asked.

"The Shadowkan." Carrie said. "Mutants from another world." Gumball glanced at the Shadowkan group. His ears began to twitch a bit, hearing what the Shadowkan were mumbling about. They were speaking some kind of language, but somehow, the blue cat knew what they were saying.

"They're saying something..." Gumball said.

"Saying what?" Carrie asked.

"They're saying... kill... destroy... murder... all kinds of pretty nasty stuff." Gumball said.

"Wait, how do you understand them?" Darwin asked.

"I... I don't... do I?" Gumball asked.

"Puney Lower-Lifeforms!" General Voidus called out. "This is the day that you all shall remember General Voidus and the Shadowkan's triumphant return! We demand the blue cat, and the little girl as well!" Hearing those made Gumball and Aelita duck a bit in their hiding spot.

"We're giving you one last chance, Watterson." Drex said. "All I ask is you give up the girl, as well as your son, and we will not shed anymore blood." The mama cat gave a glare.

"Never..." Nicole said. "You're not taking the girl, and you're definitely not taking my son."

"Then you leave us no choice." Drex said. "We shall kill you, and I will rip out your son's beating heart, and make you watch." Hearing that made Gumball whimper, and hugged Aelita tightly, unknowingly grabbing her chest, causing her to blush.

"Sorry, I'm still not frisky, I'm just scared." Gumball said.

"It's fine." Aelita said. "I don't mind it actually."

"You hurt my kids... I'll kill you." Nicole said.

"Look around!" Drex said. "You're out numbered, and you're completely outmatched! Nobody can save you now..."

Suddenly, Tommy turned his head, noticing the leaf that was on the ground began to go up in the air slowly, and then quickly. Nicole, Richard, Mordecai, and Rigby looked around, noticing that something was going on, as something was pushing from behind them gently.

"You feel that?" Mordecai asked. Then the strange force began to get slightly stronger.

"I felt that." Rigby said. They could feel it all around them. There was something pushing them from all over. It was... The Wind. It was moving around them, as if someone was nearby. The agents and Kaijin noticed this, as the wind got stronger and stronger. Then, a blue vortex began to form around them, as if someone was running at super sonic speed. In fact, there was.

"What sorcery is this?" Drex asked.

"The Wind... The Wind is moving around us!" General Voidus spoke. "But how?"

"What's going on?!" Richard asked.

"Is it the SPD?" Nicole asked

"No..." Tommy said, a smile forming on his face. "It's him!" Before one of them knew it, a blue figure dashed by, striking some of the militia men. The blue spark then moved up to the top of the truck crates, revealing to be none other than Sonic the Hedgehog!

"Hey y'all!" He spoke. "That's how you make an entrance, am I right?" Nicole, Tommy and Richard smiled.

"Sonic!" Tommy called out.

"Nicole, It's The Blur Blur!" Richard said.

"I'll be damned..." Nicole said.

"Dude... It's Sonic the Hedgehog!" Mordecai called out.

"No way... it's actually him!" Rigby shouted. Gumball, who lifted his head from his hiding spot, recognized the blue hedgehog as well. A smile formed on his face. His idol has come to save them!

"Wait... is that?" Carrie began, to be cut off by Gumball's gasp.

"Darwin, It's Sonic!" Gumball said with a smile. "Sonic's Here!"

"Mr. Sonic came to save us!" Darwin said. Aelita looked up to see the hedgehog as well. She quickly gasped, as the image of an old friend came back to her head. It was him! It was definitely him!

"You... You came back..." She said with a smile. Sonic looked back at the kids, gave a smile and a wink.

"FIRE!" Drex shouted, and the militia aimed, and fired. The bullets moved up the floor to the crates, but in an instant, Sonic jumped up, did a somersault, and lifted his leg forward, kicking one of the militia men, who didn't see him coming. The blue hedgehog then jumped up, and spin dashed into another one, and another one. The blue hedgehog was so fast, everyone couldn't figure out where he was going, or who he was gonna strike next.

"Shadowkan, Get Back!" Voidus shouted as he and the Shadowkan jumped back, leaving the other militia men to fend for themselves.

"Where the hell is that hedgehog going?!" One solider asked, only to be slammed by Sonic's spin dash.

"Holy Crap, he's fast!" Another milita man spoke.

"HEY!" The shout got his attention, where he was quickly whacked at the waist by a Macestaff, hurling him into one of the truck crates.

"What the?!" The other soldier asked, who turned around, see none other than Jak, holding his mace up. With one more swing, he pounded the soldier into a couple of others.

"Gotcha." Jak said. Another soldier attempted to attack, but Jak threw his foot back, kicking him in the crotch, and swinging his mace one more. He then threw a punch forward, and an uppercut, throwing the guy into the air. A couple more soldiers rushed in to shoot, but Jak then did a somersault and slammed the guy to the ground, sending a little blast to push the soldiers back.

"Dax!" Jak said, as the ottsel on his shoulder tossed him the Morph-Gun, which then transformed the _Wave Concussor_, Which had an elongated barrel and a red charger on top. He charged it up and aimed it as he reached the ground. All charged up, he fired the gun and sent out a circular blast of eco along the ground, sending the soldiers to the ground.

"Oooooh, that's the stuff!" Daxter said.

"FREEZE!" A group of soldiers said with their guns up, aiming at both Jak and Daxter. "Put your hands up!" Then suddenly, a strange ball was thrown at one of the soldiers. Looking down, he was that it was some sort of metal sphere, which began to quickly beep red. His eyes widened with shock.

"GERNADE-"

_-BOOOM-_

The explosion happened quickly before he could shout. The bomb blew up and the soldiers were blown back, with the one up front most likely reduced to ash. Before they reacted, they were shot by flaming bullets. Fired by a speeding lombax on his hoverboots. His Commando helmet allowed him to sensor any targets, and Clank, who was riding backpack on the lombax's back, also gave him eyes for what's behind him. After a couple of shots, the lombax high jumped into the air as Clank's heli-pack and hoverboots lifted him up into the air. He then summoned his _Predator Launcher_, a small dark-red carbine held with a left-hand grip and trigger, containing missile-shaped red node on the end. It pointed multiple red dots, one on each of the six soldiers, that remained.

"Incoming!" Ratchet said as pulled the trigger, releasing missiles that homed in onto the enemies.

"Look Out-!" One of the militia men shouted, only for them to get blown up and reduced. Drex was surprised by these mysterious attackers, as the Shadowkan were watching. As the wind died down, Sonic came in with a perfect landing, facing his opponent.

"Reach for the sky." Sonic said imitating Tom Hank, as Jak, with Daxter on his shoulder appeared with his Macestaff, and Ratchet slowly descended with Clank's heli-pack.

"What the hell is this?!" Drex asked.

"Language dude." Sonic said. "Watch the language. The name's Sonic, Sonic the Hedgehog. These are my buddies Jak and Daxter, Ratchet and Clank. And you sir, are a very bad man." With that said, Nicole and Tommy approached closer.

"Mr. Sonic." Nicole said.

"Mrs. W." Sonic said, giving a nod.

"Hey Sonic." Tommy said.

"Sonic!" Robotboy said with a smile.

"Hey Tom. Hey Robo-dude." Sonic said with a wave.

"You're kidding me?" Drex asked. "This is what the almighty Space Police Delta has sent? A blue rat, a guy with a rabid orange muskrat, and a furry kitty cat with a gun?"

"Actually sir, the correct term is Lombax." Ratchet said.

"And I'm here too sir." Clank said, waving from behind Ratchet's back.

"You really shouldn't judge a book by it's cover." Jak said. "You should take things into consideration."

"Yeah, you tell him Jak!" Daxter said. "And by the way creepy dude with the metal arm, I'm an ottsel, not a muskrat." Drex only smirked.

"Well, meet my friends." Drex said as he snapped his fingers, as the Shadowkan returned to their positions, ready to fight.

"Wow... even from a distance, those things are the E to the Z to the Iddlely-dee disgusting." Sonic said. "Well, we got some friends of our own too."

"Funny, because I don't see anyone else." Drex said. Then there was a sound, a sound that sounded like a motorcycle. The blue hedgehog turned around, and saw a motorcycle coming from behind the warehouse and zooming toward them.

"The prodigal son returns." Sonic said. On the vehicle was CJ, who revealed himself as he took off his helmet. He then jumped on top of the steering rig, and pulled out a card.

"Let's do this!" CJ called out, holding the card out. "SAMURAI STORM!" Placing the card into his belt, he quickly formed a pose. "HENSHIN!" Jumping off of his bike, his entire body began to glow, and quickly morphed into his Captain Japan armor. With his feet, he not only made a perfect landing, he made slick slid across the field til he reached Sonic's side. In the hiding spot, Gumball, Darwin, Carrie, and Aelita watched with awe.

"Whoooaa..." Gumball and Darwin said. "A Kamen Rider..."

"Kamen Rider?" Aelita asked.

"Japanese Tokusatsu show." Carrie said.

"Impressive." Sonic said. "You're still not getting my 20 bucks."

"Wasn't aiming to surprise you." CJ said. "I like to make an entrance."

"Captain Japan..." Drex spoke. "You have a lot of nerve getting yourself involved."

"Funny, your Dark Phoenix buddies attacked my fellow SPD agents back at that factory." CJ said. "And you're chasing this woman and her family who happens to be a member of the SPD. You mess with one of us, you start a quarrel with all of us."

"An ant has a quarrel with a boot." Drex said.

"You threatening to squash us?" CJ asked. "You'll have to be better than that."

"Hey dude, where's your buddy?" Sonic asked.

"Don't worry, he'll show up." CJ whispered.

"Though I have to admit, I wasn't expecting the SPD would be sending someone like you." Drex said. "Not even the hedgehog or some cat with a robot backpack, and a guy with an muskrat wearing shorts. This really puts a smile on my face for this... but fun isn't something when it comes doing my job."

"Well you're one to talk Mister guy with only one arm." Sonic said. "And you're metal arm isn't actually an arm."

"Captain Japan!" A voice spoke from behind Drex, revealing to be General Voidus, moving a bit past the man. "It has been a long time."

"General Voidus." CJ said. "Been looking for you. I'm surprised that you work with humans now. You must be pretty desparate."

"Spare me your insults, Captain Japan." Voidus said. "Before, I was outnumbered, but now I have more help than ever..." He then turns to his Shadowkan brothers, who all gave nods and growls of excitement.

"So, are we gonna get the fight already?" Jak asked. "Because I'm ready whenever you guys are."

"We'll get to that in a second." Sonic said. "First, I want to know, what do you guys want with the Wattersons?"

"Surprised that you do not know." Drex said. "We're here to capture the hybrid that they've been hiding."

"Hybrid?" Sonic asked. "Would that be Darwin? He's just a fish with legs." Hearing that made Darwin silently squeak in fear.

"No..." Drex said, as Darwin gave a sigh of relief. "We want that little cat for a very special purpose... and a young fugitive they've been hiding in their house." Aelita froze in place, as she and Gumball looked at each other.

"First I've heard of it." Sonic said.

"Well, you're gonna have to go through us if you want them." Ratchet said.

"Oh we will." Drex said. "There is lots of us, and only a few of you. What hope do you have?"

"General..." Grey-Man spoke. "May I kill them now?" As they were all talking, they didn't actually noticed a small figure from the roof of the warehouse, extending his metal claws.

"Alright, I had enough of this..." CJ said and called out. "EL TIGRE!" Suddenly, something grabbed a hold of Grey-Man's Staff, which happened to be a grapple claw. The chain pulled back, grabbing the staff and flipping Shadow-mutant off the ground and on his face.

"Oooohhh..." Gumball, Darwin, Carrie, and Aelita said. The attention was drawn back to the mysterious staff snatcher. The small but acrobactic figure jumped on top of the van, revealing himself. His height was just a bit taller than Sonic's. The boy's skin was light and tone, and his eyes were tiger green. His wore a black suit with modern brown mexican boots, a red hankerchief around his neck, dark brown gloves with silver chain bracelets on each wrist. Other assets were the brown and beaver colored flexible body armor, featuring motorcycle and sports armor, with shoulder, elbow, and knee pads, with a yellow T in the middle of his chest. He wore a helmet that was in two ears on the top like that of a tiger, and tiger tuffs on each side of the helmet. He had a tiger tail, almost realistic. For those who may not know who he really is, the only familiar features he has are the freckles on his cheeks, the scar over his left eye, the brown belt with the silver buckle with a black T engraved in it, and the overbite with the prominent chipped tooth. Lifting his head up, he spoke.

"Whassup?" He asked. Sonic, Ratchet, and Jak looked at the boy with surprise, but they were also impressed.

"Oooooooo…" Sonic, Jak and Daxter said with awe.

"Nice..." Ratchet said.

"What the hell is this?" He asked as Grey-Man gets back up.

"My partner." CJ said. "That's who."

"The SPD also brings the infamous El Tigre to stop us too?" Drex shouted.

"Tiger!" El Tigre said.

"What?" Drex asked.

"I perfer Tiger." El Tigre said. "I'm not actually mexican or spanish, I'm american. And you should be ashamed attacking and shooting families out in the open. So you guys better drop your weapons or you're all gonna get a butt-whooping!"

"Hey, kid!" CJ said, getting the boy's attention. "Keep it down... alright?"

"Oh sorry, sorry... you guys do the talking." El Tigre said. "Hey can I break this staff?"

"Go ahead." CJ said.

"Nice." El Tigre said as he flipped the staff and broke it with his leg, tossing it aside.

"You heard the Tiger, Drex!" CJ said. "You surrender now or we're gonna kick your asses."

"Dude, watch the language." Sonic said. "There are kids out here."

"Enough of this chit-chatter!" Drex shouted. "I've had enough of this stalling you all are trying to do! I'm here for the little cat and the girl! You shall give them to me, or there will be blood!"

"You know, you're right, we've let this conversation go on long enough, since it was getting boring anyway." Sonic said. "THINK FAST!" The words came out quickly as Sonic pulled out his sword and threw it directly at Drex. With a loud clank, the man actually caught it, right before the tip of the blade could stab him in the face. Jak, Daxter, Ratchet, and El Tigre were a bit surprised by this.

"Whoa..." Ratchet said.

"Weren't expecting that, were you?" Drex asked.

"Actually, I was." Sonic said. "Which is why I'm going to say this... HERO TIME!"

"What?" Drex asked, unaware of a small nanomechion on the Sword.

"It's Hero Time!" It spoke, clicking a familiar omnitrix symbol on it's chest, emitting a strong flash of green right in Drex's eyes. As he opened them, he saw a taller muscular figure in the air, throwing a powerful punch from a crystal fist, sending Drex across the field into the truck. The Shadow-Kaijin were about to react, but the figure then shot out crystal shards, preventing them from making a move, while also grabbing Sonic's sword. Taking a back flip back to Sonic's side, the figure was fully revealed. It was a light green Petrosapien, a silicon based alien with a super density molecular structure. He wore a black shirt with a green stripe in the middle, along with black pants, and an omnitrix symbol on his belt. For those who about Ben 10, he actually has the ability to transform into multiple different aliens through the use of the galvin watch, the Omnitrix, and this alien was one of them.

"_Diamondhead!_" The petrosapien spoke, as Sonic, Ratchet and Clank gave a smile, while Captain Japan, El Tigre, Tommy, Nicole, Richard, Jak and Daxter, as was Darwin, Gumball, Aelita, and Carrie watched with surprise and mouths hung open.

"Oh my god..." Jak said.

"Am I right?" Ratchet asked.

"Gumball..." Darwin spoke as he was about to hold in his excitement. "It's... It's... It's..."

"It's Ben 10!" Gumball said.

"It's Ben 10!" Gumball and Darwin shouted, and then squealed, as Carrie and Aelita looked a bit confused.

"Who?" Aelita asked.

"Just some superhero they're fans of." Carrie answered.

"BEN 10!" Mordecai and Rigby shouted with smiles of joy.

"Dude... that's Ben Tennyson!" El Tigre said.

"Yeah, I noticed." CJ said.

"Sonic the Hedgehog, I believe this is your's." Diamondhead spoke, returning the sword to Sonic.

"Thanks D." Sonic said. Drex, a bit sore from the punch and slam, slowly got to his feet.

"Don't Just Stand There!" Drex shouted. "Kill Them All!" The remaining militia men raised their guns out.

"Oh No You Don't!" Jak called out as he summoned his Macestaff and swung it hard, sending out a strong wind gust and pushed them all back to the ground. The Shadowkan held their ground.

"Permission to kill sir?" Voidus asked.

"Permission granted." Drex hissed as his metal arm transformed into a sword.

"Shadowkan!" Voidus shouted. "Let Us Destroy Them!"

"Tommy, you and Mrs. W get everyone out of here!" Sonic called.

"Got it!" Tommy said. "Let's go Ro!" With a nod, Robotboy, Tommy, Nicole, Richard, Mordecai, and Rigby headed straight inside the factory to collect the kids, while the boys stayed, ready to fight.

"It's Showtime!" Sonic called out. Rolling up like a ball, he dashed forward and struck Drex, who countered with his metal arm. With a thrust, Drex attempted to stab, but Sonic jumped onto the sword arm and kicked Drex in the face. Sonic then swung, and Drex countered.

"You rat!" Drex said. "You will pay dearly for resisting the wrath of Hydra Force."

"You killed some of my friends back at Kadic." Sonic said. "So it's you who's going to pay." As the blue hedgehog jumped back, Drex quickly clicked his wristwatch and his belt lit up.

"Death Metal... Transform!" He shouted as he brought his arms down and flashed in a quickly electric light. In his place was his Death-Metal Armor Hyena form. As he lifted his head up, Sonic only smiled.

"Wow, you got a transformation too?" Sonic asked. "What is with it with people transforming all the time?"

"Silence!" Drex spoke as his gun arm transformed into a sword.

"Alright, let's fight!" Sonic said as he dashed forward and swung his own sword, striking Drex's own blade. As the two exchanged blade strikes, Voidus had his sights set on CJ.

"Captain Japan!" Voidus shouted as he charged forward with sword in his hand. He made a swing, but CJ dodged, throwing a kick onto Voidus' shoulder. Another swing from the sword, but CJ ducked and threw several punches into the Shadowkan General's chest, throwing him back.

"Seriously?" CJ asked. "You still use a sword to fight? What's the point of using it if you're not good with it?"

"How dare you insult my skills!" Voidus shouted as he swung again, and CJ jumped back.

"Ok, let's make this fair then." CJ said. He then summoned his own sword, his Samuraizer, and clashed with Voidus, throwing several blade strikes, and the Shadowkan General throwing his own. Behemoth then approached Jak and Daxter. Daxter was giving a little worried face.

"Oh my..." He said.

"Don't worry Dax." Jak said. "We got this." He then pulled out his Macestaff and lept up, striking the Shadowkan in the head. Behemoth fought back by slamming his fists, but the Eco warrior dodged quickly, and struck once more with his sword. He then pulled out his morph gun, which turned into the Blaster. He fired bullet and bullet, throwing Behemoth off. Grey-Man lunged forward to attack El Tigre, but the Tiger boy leaped up and kicked him from behind, sending him landing face first on the ground.

"Ok, you really need to work on your charging." El Tigre said. Grey-Man then picked up the two pieces of his staff, and lunged forward once more, swinging with both pieces in hand. El Tigre jumped out of the way, dodged left, right, up, and down.

"Hold still you little cat!" Grey-Man shouted.

"Sorry, I just can't stand still." El Tigre said. Grey-Man was then furious, and thrusted his piece with the spikes forward, but El Tigre, done with dodging, slid under, and extended his metal claws, and chopped up the staff with them into more pieces. Then he leaped up and shot out his grapple claw to grab Grey-Man by the arm. With a strong pull, he then flung the Shadowkan far away.

"GAAAAHHHH!" Grey-Man shouted as he flew a very far distance.

"Guess I threw him right out of the park!" El Tigre said.

Rimshot, but no applause.

"Yeah, better leave the jokes with Luan instead." El Tigre said to himself. He was then interrupted by a screech, which happened to be Gorgon, who flew in to attack. But El Tigre dodged out of the way. Ratchet looked around, wondering who he was gonna fight.

"Ok, I'm starting to feel left out." Ratchet said. "Nobody wants to fight me."

"Ummm... Ratchet?" Clank said, tapping his friend's shoulder. Turning around, he saw Lionizer, extending his bladed tails and his two swords in hand.

"Finally, about time." Ratchet said as he summoned his Combuster and fired, shooting Lionizer a couple times. But the Shadowkan then swung his sword, with the lombax dodging with a backflip, then a leftflip. Lionizer then swung his bladed tails, but Clank activated his heli-pack and boosted Ratchet into the air, who then summoned his Wrench and threw it with a Comet-Strike, striking the Shadowkan in the head. With Diamondhead, he was squaring off against Reaper-Robot.

"You know, from what I can see, you look more like a robot than a Shadow-mutant." Diamondhead said. "But if I'm honest, you still look ugly."

"Insolent lifeform!" Reaper-Robot spoke. "You will pay dearly for showing disrespect!" He then swung his mace hand, but Diamondhead dodged, and began to firing diamond crystals at the beast. Reaper-Robot then swug his massive claws, but Diamondhead slid under and kicked the kaijin, sending him forward.

"Fool!" Reaper-Robot shouted as he fired his pulse blaster, shooting beams as Diamondhead used his arms to create a shield, reflecting the beams back at Reaper-Robot.

"Yeah, you should know, I can reflect anything that comes my way." Diamondhead said. "Well, almost everything."

"Then can you reflect this!?" Reaper-Robot shouted as he swung his mace again, striking and breaking off Diamondhead's arm off.

"Gah!" He said as his hand was cut off by the mace. But then it grew back, brand new.

"Oh, and I can regenerate too." Diamondhead said.

"GRAAAGH!" Reaper-Robot shouted. "Try to dodge this!" He then slammed his claw arm into the ground, summoning giant pillars of ice from the ground. Diamondhead however only gave a grin, and his arms transformed into sharp blades. It's a neat ability Petrosapian has, to regenerate themselves, and transform their body arms into all kinds of melee weapons. Diamondhead slashed through each ice pillar Reaper-Robot could summon, and with a charging dash, and powerful fist, he punched Reaper-Robot into the wall, leaving him unconcious.

"Awww Yeah! Who's Bad?" Diamondhead said. There were some cheers and applause coming from Gumball, Darwin, Aelita, and Carrie. But that was short lived as Drex lifted his head up, seeing the four, but his eyes directly at Gumball and Aelita.

"Uh oh..." Gumball quickly said as he realized they've been spotted. "Run!" He grabbed Aelita's hand and they both ran for it, with Darwin and Carrie running behind.

"Voidus!" Drex called. "Tell the Shadowkan to capture the girl and the hybrd!"

"Shadowkan, Capture the Girl and the Blue Kitty!" Voidus shouted.

"You heard the boss boys!" Silkoid shouted. "Let's get us some flesh, brothas!" He, Sepultura, Heliotoid, Mecha-Neck, Raptor Sniper, and Feather-Shadow gave a roar as they charged into the Warehouse. Sonic turning his head after he punched Drex in the face.

"Shoot!" Sonic said. "CJ, the shadow mutants are going after Gumball!"

"I'm a little busy myself!" CJ spoke as he was guarding against Voidus' attacks. "Tiger, the Shadowkan are going after the girl and Sonic's buddies! Stop Them!"

"Copy That!" El Tigre shouted after punching Gorgon, placing him in a daze. With the opportunity, he then shot his Grapple Claw and flung foward to where the Shadowkan were going, using each claw to grab objects and ledges to pull himself, like Spider-Man and his web slinging.

"Jak, Ratchet, you and the boys go help him out!" Sonic called out.

"We're a little busy right now!" Jak said as he kept shooting his Blaster at Behemoth, with Ratchet still shooting at Lionizer with no effect.

"Man these things are tough." Ratchet said as he summoned his Fusion Gernade glove, throwing a bomb right at Lionizer. The explosion has done some damage, but not enough to kill it though. Soon, CJ and Sonic were pushed back into the group by Drex and Voidus, and the four were cornered.

"Any ideas Captain?" Sonic asked.

"Not really." CJ said. As the Shadowkan began to corner them, they were then bombarded with crystal shards. Turning their heads, they saw Diamondhead shooting crystal projectiles.

"Hey, over here!" Diamondhead shouted. Having enough of the bombarding, Behemoth approached Diamondhead, with Sonic tripping Drex, CJ punching Voidus in the face, and Jak shooting Lionzer with his Morph Gun. As Lionzer fell, Ratchet whacked him in the head with his Omniwrench. They then grouped up with Diamondhead.

"You got a plan for this right?" CJ asked.

"Actually, I wasn't thinking that far ahead!" Diamondhead said. But then, they heard a honking sound, in a funny and familiar melody.

"Well, looks like he made it in time!" CJ said turning his head. The others did the same, and saw what appeared to be a Semi-Truck approaching from behind the Shadowkan. Drex and Voidus quickly moved out of the way, though Lionizer was flipped over by the impact of the truck. It then moved into Behemoth, who almost got toppled over. The truck then skid toward the group, and stopped right in front of Sonic. The truck door opened from the driver side, revealing Skips in a bodyarmored uniform. He pulled out a massive cannon gun from the seat, and aimed it right at Behemoth.

"Time for you to lay down, you bastards!" Skips said as he moved forward, and fired, hitting massive spheres of energy at Behemoth, which worked greatly on him, throwing him backwards. After a couple of shots, Skips fired one last sphere, which hit Behemoth in the chest, and sent him toppling backwards, right into Drex and the other Shadowkan.

"No no nononono NO!" Voidus shouted as he, Drex, and Lionizer were crushed by Behemoth, who laid onto the floor. Skips blew into the muzzle of the gun.

"Bull's eye." Skips said.

"Wow..." Sonic said.

"Nice..." Daxter said.

"That was awesome Skips." CJ said.

"Thanks." Skips said. "I still got it."

"Skips?" Diamondhead asked, getting the yeti's attention, who then stared at the petrosapien with a smile.

"Well well, if it ain't Max's dumbass son's flesh and blood." Skips said.

"Nice to see you too, Skywalker." Diamondhead said jokingly.

"Wait, you know him?" Sonic asked.

"Yeah, you're not the only one who knows everybody." Diamondhead said.

"I see you're staying out of trouble.. hopefully." Skip said.

"Well depends if you define the definition of trouble." Diamondhead spoke.

"Sorry to cut things short Skips, but we better get inside and help the others." CJ said.

"You're right." Skips said. "Let's move out." The Yeti and the others headed straight for the Warehouse, knowing little that a battle was going on inside. Behemoth just laid there on the ground, on top of Drex, Voidus, and Lionizer.

"Ow... that hurt." He said.

"Get off of us you idiot!" Voidus shouted.

"You fools were suppose to be experts!" Drex said.

"You didn't tell us we'd be dealing with a bunch of teenage freaks!" Voidus shouted. "Lionizer, get your hand off me!"

"That's not my hand." Lionizer said.

"Grrrr... Where is Gorgon?!" Voidus shouted.

"Right here sir." Gorgon spoke as he flew in.

"Gorgon, get him off of us now!" Voidus shouted.

"And do it quickly!" Drex shouted.

"Yes sir." Gorgon said as he flew to Behemoth and attempted to pull him off. "This may take a while though."

* * *

Back in the Warehouse, The kids kept running for their lives as the battle went on outside.

"Mom!" Gumball called out.

"Kids!" Nicole spoke from the lower floor. But then, Heliotoid flew through the window of the upper floor, creating a trail of flames in the middle of the warehouse, separating Gumball and Aelita from Darwin and Carrie. Nicole, Richard, Tommy, Mordecai and Rigby were trapped on Darwin and Carrie's side too.

"Gumball!" Darwin called out.

"Bro!" Gumball called out as they both rushed toward each other, but the fire separated them.

"It's ok, we'll find another way around!" Carrie said. Then Heliotoid emerged from the flames in front of Gumball and Aelita.

"Hello..." He spoke. "I hope you like it HOT!"

"AAAHHHH!" Gumball and Aelita screamed. Taking her hand, Gumball and Aelita ran for it, as Heliotoid chased after them. Then, sniper beams were shooting above and behind them. Gumball turned to see Raptor-Sniper shooting at them.

"Watch where you're shooting!" Heliotoid shouted.

"You watch where you're going!" Raptor-Sniper shouted.

"Hey douchebags, we need them alive, remember?!" Silkoid shouted, only to be whacked by Raptor-Sniper, who then continued to fire.

"Robotboy!" Tommy called out. "Help them!"

"Ok Tommy!" Robotboy called out as he flew toward Gumball and Aelita's location, only to be thrown off by Mecha-Neck, who leaped up and pulled the robot down. Gumball and Aelita kept running, but Raptor-Sniper aimed ahead, and shot at the stairway, causing it to tumble down.

"Ahh!" Gumball said. "That was our only way down! What are we gonna do?!" Aelita looked around, and then noticed a long chain dangling from the ceiling. She recalled during her adventures with her friends back at Kadic, she would often grab onto a chain that was dangling from the top of the factory to help herself slide down to the elevator, either to get there quick enough or to show off. She took a couple steps back, and then rushed forward. She then took a big leap, much to everyone's surprise. She grabbed onto the chain, and slid down to the ground, making a perfect landing.

"Oooooooo..." Everyone said.

"Whoa..." Gumball said as stars began to sparkle in his eyes. "She's more amazing than before..." The girl then turned her head.

"Gumball, try and grab on!" Aelita called as she pushed the chain to him. The blue cat then took a deep breath himself, and stepped back. He then rushed forward, and jumped. Then fell quickly onto the side of the stairway, then tumbled down as he hit his crotch on the metal pole, then toppled wee-wee-wee-wee onto the ground.

"Ow! Ooph! Ouch! DEI! Ooomph!" Gumball spoke with each impact, and fell face first onto the ground.

"Gumball!" Aelita gasped as she ran toward her friend. "Gumball, are you alright?!" The blue cat lifted his head.

"It's ok... I survived..." He whimpered. But this was cut short as another sniper beam shot toward them, making them panic.

"C'mon, We'll head outside!" Gumball said as he pulled his friend out the massive door. They leaned to the side, and began panting.

"That was close." He said, as Aelita gave a nod. But then there was drips of liquid dripping between them. They gave a whimper, then lifted their heads up, seeing Feather-Shadow staring right at them and hissing.

"AAAHHHHH!" They both screamed, and they took off running. Feather-Shadow took flight and chased after them. However, the monster didn't noticed El Tigre on the top of the building running by it in the same direction. As he got close enough, he shot his grapple claw onto Feather-Shadow's wing. The winged Shadowkan noticed the extra baggage and tried to fling him off, but the tiger boy's claw held on tight.

"Stop!" El Tigre shouted. "In The Name of the SPD, You're Under Arrest!"

"Get Off Me Your Vermin!" Feather-Shadow shouted, shaking as he kept running. Despite the dangling, El Tigre leaped to the ground, his feet sticking in, trying to pull the shadowkan back, but the winged beast was still strong, it pulled El Tigre with it.

Jumping off the ground, his grapple chain pulled him forward onto the Shadowkan's back.

"Well, you're grounded, feathered beast!" El Tigre shouted as he used his claws to strike the beast's wing, causing them to spark and fall off, and bringing the beast down to the ground. But it didn't give up chasing Gumball and Aelita. As the boy jumped off and landed on his feet, he charged in toward the beast with a couple of claw strikes, and pulled his fist back.

"_VICIOUS UPPERCUT_!" El Tigre shouted as he moved in and punched Feather-Shadow multiple times and finishes with a firey uppercut, sending the beast flying to the ground. With the beast down, El Tigre stretched himself.

"Wow, that training with Lynn really paid off." He said. Turning his head, he saw Gumball and Aelita.

"Wow..." Gumball said as well. "That was pretty cool."

"Thanks." El Tigre said, his smile showing his chipped tooth. Aelita's eyes widened with realization. She had seen this hero before a while ago, but she saw that similiar overbite way before that. The white haired boy she saw that time when she ran out of that gas station.

"It's you!" She said, taking a step forward. "You're the boy from the fuel station!"

"Hey, you recognized me!" El Tigre said. "I also saved you from those thugs that were tossing you around like a ragdoll." The boy then examined her from top to bottom, but then stopped as she saw her bump on her tummy. "Wow, you really let yourself go..."

"Hey!" Gumball spoke as he approached him. "Excuse me sir, she is expecting, not fat." El Tigre's eyes widened at the realization.

"Oh, sorry..." He said. "I had no idea... I didn't... you know..."

"It's no problem at all." Aelita said with a smile. Seeing this made Gumball only pur in jealousy. But a rub on his head by the girl made him pur in relief, making him nuzzle against her neck. But this moment was cut short however, as El Tigre turned his head and saw Feather-Shadow getting back up.

"Ok, you guys better run now." El Tigre said.

"Good idea!" Gumball and Aelita said as they ran back to the Warehouse, leaving El Tigre to face off against Feather-Shadow.

"Yo Captain!" El Tigre called through his helmet's communicator. "He's not stopping! Any Alternatives?"

"If he's not stopping, then slice him up!" CJ called out.

"Copy that!" El Tigre said. "Yo Shadow Monster, I've been authorized to kill you now!" The Shadowkan gave a loud roar, blowing wind on El Tigre.

"Ok, you asked for it." El Tigre said, his claws sharpening up. He then rushed foward and began striking with his claws against the Shadowkan's face. The beast then lunged it's arm forward to strike, but El Tigre jumped up, and gave the beast a kick in the face. The beast opened his mouth and fired needles, but the boy jumped, flipping himself to dodge. Then the boy jumped up on the Shadowkan's back, and dug his sharp claws into the beast's back neck. Feeling the pain, Feather-Shadow shook hard, and though his claws held him on for long, the boy was eventually flipped off the beast, but El Tigre shot another grapple claw forward, this time in front of Feather-Shadow. Feather-Shadow then shot out more needles, making El Tigre dodge wth all his might. But he knew he couldn't do that forever.

"Alright, time to try out that new move." He said as he made a perfect landing. "Hey feather-butt, come get me!" Hearing that insult, he charged after the boy, who was leading him to the side of the wall.

"Here Goes Nothing!" El Tigre spoke as he charged toward the building, his feet touching the wall, allowing him to run up. He then made a high jump.

"_SPINNING ARMADILLO_!" He shouted, spinning high in the air with his claws, like an armadillo, diving in. As he got close enough, he stopped spinning and kicks his leg out. Upon impact, El Tigre kicks Feather-Shadow right through, causing the creature to screech in pain, sparking bursts all over his body, and then exploded. As the smoke cleared, El Tigre landed with style.

"Super-Macho..." El Tigre spoke in a low voice. "Huh, either I've been wearing the belt too long, or I've been hanging out with the Casegrandes too much."

* * *

Back with Gumball and Aelita, the two ran back into the Warehouse.

"Wait, aren't those monsters still in here?" Aelita asked.

"I dunno, it's better than being outside, is it?" Gumball asked. But then they stopped in their feet, seeing Heliotoid making an approach on them. The blue cat knew he'd spoke too soon.

"I hate myself." Gumball said to himself. The two turned around to go outside, but then Sepultura slammed through the window in front of the teens.

"AAAHHHH!" Gumball and Aelita screamed once more.

"Where do you think you're going?" Sepultura said. Gumball, realizing that screaming wasn't going to stop them, took a deep breath and stepped forward.

"Hey, what's the big idea?!" Gumball asked. "Surrounding two helpless kids like this and threa-" He was then met with a punch in the face by Sepultura and fell to the ground.

"Gumball!" Aelita called, but then she was grabbed by Silkoid.

"Whaddup girly..." Silkoid said as Aelita gave a scream. Darwin and Carrie were able to make it to the other side and saw Gumball out cold.

"Gumball!" Darwin shouted as he tried to rush to his brother, getting in range of Raptor-Sniper's aim. Luckily Carrie saw this coming.

"Darwin, Look Out!" She cried as she pushed the fish out of the way.

_-BANG-_

A sniper beam went through Carrie's head, green goo gushing out, causing her to fall onto the ground.

"CARRIE, NOOOO!" Darwin shouted as he ran toward her. He held her in his arms, trying to get her to wake up. But no prevail. The fish with legs began to shed some tears.

"Carrie... no..." He whimpered. He then started to cry.

"GAH!" Carrie shouted as she lifted herself up.

"AHHH!" Darwin shouted. "Carrie, you're alive!" The ghost girl shook and rubbed her head.

"Ow." Carrie said, and looked back at Darwin. "What? I'm a ghost. Ghosts can't die, remember?"

"Oh sweet relief." Darwin said. "It's ok, we're good!"

"AAAAHHHHH!" Aelita's screams got their attention. They turned to see Aelita being held by Silkoid, with Sepultura approaching her.

"Aelita! Gumball!" Darwin and Carrie screamed as they tried to save her, but Heliotoid appeared and summoned a firewall, preventing them from entry. He then turned back toward the girl, still held by Silkoid.

"Give her to me..." Sepultura said.

"Sure thing dawg." Silkoid said as he pushed her into Sepultura's clutches and he held her from behind.

"You know, the human guy said that we had to capture you alive." Sepultura said. "But that doesn't mean we can't have fun with you." He then extended his tongue out, and slid it across Aelita's neck and cheek, making her whimper in fear. She then felt Silkoid attempt to grab her legs.

"C'mon, let's get some action on this fleshy!" He spoke. The girl's eyes widened, and she threw a couple of kicks to keep him back.

"Gumball!" Aelita cried out. "Gumball Help Me!" The blue cat slowly opened his eyes, and the blurryness began to die down. As his vision cleared, he saw Aelita held by Sepultura, with Silkoid trying to spread her legs open. He gasped upon the sight. He lifted himself up, and rage began to build up inside him.

"HEY!" He screeched, getting their attention.

"Leave... Her... ALONE!" The blue cat shouted, with his eyes becoming black and yellow once more. His hands became claws, his tails grew spikes, and wings sprouted from his back, and black antennaes popped from his head, revealing his Shadowkan form.

"What the hell?" Silkoid asked.

"How is this possible?!" Sepultura asked, dropping Aelita to the ground.

"He... he has our genetic traits!" Heliotoid said. "He's one of us?!" Gumball then gave a loud growl and lunged forward, leaping over Aelita and striked Heliotoid.

"Fool! BURN!" Heliotoid shouted as he shot flames around Gumball, burning him. But the blue cat emerged from the flames, where his burnt marks began to heal up. He then growled, showing his sharp teeth.

"He's... invincible?!" Heliotoid asked in shock. In an instant, Gumball grabbed Heliotoid by the leg, and then threw him around, tossing him outside through the window.

"Damn!" Silkoid shouted. "Seppy, Stop him!" Sepultura then charged in, only to be grabbed as well, with Gumball using his claws to rip off Sepultura's arm, making the Shadow-mutant scream. The blue shadowkan cat then lifted Sepultura off the ground and hurled him out of the building. The blue cat turned his head slowly back at Silkoid, who had his mouth hung open.

"Oh, screw this shit." He said as he made a run for it, and the blue cat made a dominant purr. The girl rose from the floor and approached the blue cat.

"Gumball?" Aelita asked, getting the cat's attention. He turned his head and stared at the girl with his yellow and black eyes. But they reverted back to dark blue.

"Are... are you ok?" She asked.

"Yeah..." Gumball said as he turned around fully, his body reverting back to normal. "I'm... I'm sorry, they were gonna... they were gonna..." He was then met by a hug from Aelita, who then gave a nuzzle to his cheek.

"Thank you." She said. The blue cat gave a weak smile, and hugged her back.

"Gumball!" Darwin's voice called out, getting their attention. They turned to see Darwin and Carrie, as the flames died out around them.

"Buddy!" Gumball called out as his brother hugged him in open arms.

"Gumball!" Nicole called out as she, Richard, Tommy, Robotboy, Mordecai and Rigby rushed in. The mama cat gave a hug to her sons, thankful that they're ok.

"You guys ok?" Carrie asked.

"Yeah, we're good." Aelita said. But before they could celebrate, more shots were heard from the other side of the warehouse, revealing Raptor-Sniper, who was then joined by Silkoid, Reaper-Robot, Mecha-Neck, Sepultura and Gray-Man.

"Haha, I brought backup, bitches!" Silkoid called. Then turning to the other side, more militia men arrived with guns. The group then turned back to the Shadowkan.

"Sorry, but you didn't think it would be that easy did you?" Raptor-Sniper asked as he aimed his gun forward at the group.

"Actually..." The voice caused the Shadowkan to turn around, only to see Sonic, CJ, El Tigre, Diamondhead, Ratchet and Clank, Jak and Daxter, and Skips, ready to fight.

"We kinda did." Sonic said, who then swung his sword, sending Raptor-Sniper against the floor.

"YEAH!" Gumball and Darwin cheered, as Sonic rushed in, followed by Diamondhead who pushed Reaper-Robot to the ground, El Tigre and CJ rushing in, with Jak and Daxter who pushed Gray-Man as well, following suit, and Ratchet and Clank jumping on Silkoid.

"Sonic!" Gumball called out.

"Hey kid!" Sonic said.

"Did we miss the party?" Skips asked.

"Skips!" Mordecai and Rigby called out with a smile. "You made it!"

"Of course I did." Skips said. "I did tell you I would."

"I knew you would get here big guy!" Rigby said. But their conversation was cut short as they Shadowkan rose back up, ready to fight. And some militia men moved in with them.

"Ok guys, you head out and we'll be right behind you ok?" Sonic asked.

"Ok!" Gumball and Darwin said.

"Nicole, you get everyone out of here now!" Skips called.

"Sure thing!" Nicole said.

"Wait, we wanna stay and fight!" Mordecai said.

"Yeah, me too!" Rigby said holding up his staff. Skips gave a groan.

"Fine, but just stay behind me." Skips said.

"Got it!" Mordecai and Rigby said.

"C'mon kids, let's go!" Nicole said as she grabbed Darwin and Carrie, pulling Richard with them. Tommy and Robotboy followed suit. Aelita went to follow, but turned her head back at Sonic.

"Aelita, come on!" Gumball said as he pulled her the other way.

"You guys got guns?" Skips asked.

"Sure do." Jak said as he pulled out his Morph Gun, which then transformed into the Vulcan Fury, a cylindrical blue mod gun with a rotating barrel.

"Clank, Dual Vipers." Ratchet said.

"Check." Clank said as he summoned the Dual Vipers, a pair of rapid machine guns with a large magazine full of bullets and small nozzle, into Ratchet's hands. CJ then summoned his R1 Pistol, armed and ready.

"You ever use a gun?" CJ asked El Tigre.

"No, but I can use my nails, and they shoot out like guns." El Tigre said extending his nails.

"That'll do." CJ said.

"Doing some firing practice?" Diamondhead asked. "Sounds good to me."

"Wait, I don't have anything." Sonic said.

"Here." CJ said as he tossed a D-Pistol to Sonic.

"Wicked." Sonic said.

"Alright boys!" Skips shouted as he brought out his Gun Cannon. "Let's go!" Ready, the boys then fired their weapons at the Shadowkan and troops. Skips fired multiple spheres from his Cannon, Diamondhead fired his crystal shards, El Tigre firing his nails like guns, Mordecai shooting with the Shock Blaster, Rigby shooting with the tip of the staff, Jak firing multiple at rapid succession with the Vulcan Fury while Daxter was cheering, Ratchet firing his Dual Vipers while Clank gave him boosts into the air. CJ firing his pistol, and Sonic firing his own. Seeing this chaos, Sepultura noticed the others trying to get away. He then slid out of the warehouse to pursuit, as did Mecha-Neck, who left as well to hunt the prey. With Nicole's party, they were moving forward as the men prepared to firing.

"Richard, clear the pathway!" Nicole said.

"Ok, honey!" Richard said as he aimed his mingun and fired, shooting most of the men down with multiple bullets, clearing the pathway for them to get outside. As they made it out, Richard gave a smile.

"We're saved!" He said, but there was the sound of clicking. Looking forward, he saw more militia men, with guns aimed at him.

"AHHHHH!" Richard shouted, but then Tommy rushed in, with Robotboy floating above him.

"Go get 'em Ro!" Tommy called out as Robotboy transformed into his Super-Activated mode, and began firing rockets and lasers upon the militia men, while Tommy used his energy sword to strike down his own foes that surrounded him. Soon all the men were on the ground dead. Gumball and the others sighed in relief.

"Oh thank goodness." Gumball said. "I think we're safe." But then, there was a slam behind them.

"Maybe you should keep your mouth shut." Darwin said. Turning their heads they saw Mecha-Neck rising up and giving a loud roar.

"AHHHH!" Gumball, Aelita, Darwin, and Carrie screamed and made a run for it. But the beast then opened it's mouth, revealing six glowing holes inside, and it began to fire plasma bullets upon them, in between them, causing Gumball and Aelita to trip over.

"Gumball!" Darwin cried out, but was pulled back by Carrie and Richard. As the two got up, they turned to see Mecha-Neck approaching them. Aelita was frozen solid. The blue cat however stood between the beast and the girl, shielding her in case the shadowkan tried anything. As the beast looked directly at the blue cat, Gumball's eyes shifted again, reverting to the black and yellow eyes. He lowered his arms, and began walking toward the Shadowkan.

"Gumball?" Aelita asked. "Gumball?" The blue cat didn't respond. He only approached the shadow-mutant, who gave a loud roar. Gumball however didn't cringe or anything, but showed his sharp teeth.

"あなたは彼女を傷つけません... / Anata wa kanojo o kizutsukemasen...!" Gumball shouted as he transformed back into his Shadowkan form. Mecha-Neck gave another roar, opening it's mouth ready to fire. But then, a spinning blade struck it in the face, almost sending it off balance. Gumball's eyes then reverted to normal, and he fell to his knees in dizziness.

"Gumball!" Aelita called out as she ran to him, and helped him up.

"Gumball!" Darwin and Carrie called out as they came to his aid as well.

"I'm good... I'm good..." Gumball said as the girl held him. "What happened?" They then saw the spinning blade hit the ground, and looked forward. Mecha-Neck turned his head, and saw Nicole Watterson, standing there, with mechanical gloves around her wrist. As Mecha-Neck gave a growl, Nicole raised her arms up, forming an X, and her bracers emitted two sharp energy claws.

"Get away from them, you BITCH!" She hissed. Mecha-Neck gave a roar, and opened its upper head's mouth, revealing six small holes in it, glowing.

"Uhhhh... we should go." Gumball said.

"But what about-" Aelita said.

"Trust Me!" Gumball said as he got to his feet and grabbed Aelita by the waist, carring her sideway, and Darwin held her feet so they wouldn't drag. "Mom is gonna come out on top and she doesn't want us in the way!" They quickly ran for it, as Nicole positioned herself, ready to fight. With a screech, Mecha-Neck fired multiple plasma bullets toward the mother cat. But she ran toward it, dodging the bullets with quick speed and agility, and quickly moved in with a kick to the monster's face, performing a back flip onto the ground. Mecha-Neck countered with a swing of his large talons, but Nicole jumped out of the way to the beast's left and swung her claws, striking it on its side. The monster retaliated, slamming his talon to the ground. But Nicole backflipped, then jumped on the talon, and struck Mecha-Neck once more, this time with her Battle Axe. Mecha-Neck then fired again, shooting plasma bullets, but the mama cat continued to dodge, leaping onto the outside wall of the warehouse, leaping onto the crates, then jumping in to attack again.

"What?..." Gumball wondered.

"I've never seen Mrs. Mom fight like that before." Darwin said. Mecha-Neck swung his talons, with Nicole dodging, and striking with her Axe and Claws in all areas, including the legs. Suddenly, the beast opened it's mouth, sending out a long tongue to grab Nicole's leg, pulling her up. Suddenly, Mecha-Neck's mouth revealed more tentacles, grabbing Nicole's legs and arm, holding her up.

"MOM!" Gumball and Darwin called as the mama cat tried to break free. The tentacles held her up toward's Mecha-Neck's face, and the tongue moved around her, ripping her white shirt down the middle, revealing her skin and bra covering her breasts.

"Tasty..." Mecha-Neck said, his tentacles trying to make their way up her skirt, but Nicole's eyes widened with anger. The shadowkan just did a big no no.

"Don't... Touch... ME!" She shouted as she activated her energy claws and sliced the tentacles that held her, freeing her from their grasp. Mecha-Neck then opened it's mouth to fire, but Nicole stabbed the beast in the mouth, disabling it's plasma mouth gun.

"You! Disgusting! Perverted! Shitface! Monster!" The mama cat shouted as it continued to stabb the Mecha-Neck's mouth, making it gush out blood. Pulling back, Nicole leaped down, slicing the Shadowkan's legs, then sliced off it's talons, with one loud roar, Nicole leaped up into the area, as Mecha-Neck looked up, unable to counter. Nicole then moved down with both claws.

"AAAARRRRRRGGGH!"

The beast gave a shriek as Nicole dug her energy claws into the beast's head. She then leaped forward and pulled her claws, tearing the monster from the inside of its face into its back. She then pulled out her claws, ripping more of the kaijin out, and flipping forward onto the ground. Mecha-Neck then exploded, and it's lifeless body fell to the ground. Gumball, Darwin, Aelita, and Carrie watched with shock and awe.

"Whoa..." Gumball and Darwin said.

"Uhhhh... is there anything you guys wanna tell me?" Carrie asked. But then there was another low rumble. Slowly turning around, they saw another Shadowkan, bursting from the ground, revealing to be Sepultura.

"HAHAHAHA!" He laughed.

"AAAAAHHHHH!" Gumball, Darwin, Aelita, and Carrie gave a scream. Nicole then turned around quickly, grabbing the battle axe from her back and throwing it right into Sepultura's face, causing blood to gush out, some of it on Darwin's face. With a mighty jump, Nicole then pulled her axe out of the Shadowkan's face, then kicked the screaming Sepultura into one of the freight boxes, making him explode. The kids watched with shock as Nicole made a perfect landing. She was huffing... and huffing... She then saw Sepultura, still partially alive, gagging as blood came out of his mouth. The mama cat moved toward him, extending her battle claws.

"Wait... Wait... No!" Sepultura begged, but Nicole swung her claws, striking the Shadowkan. Then she swung again, and again, and again, and again, again, again, again, as she was screaming in rage. No doubt the Shadowkan was already dead by the first swing, but Nicole wasn't stopping. With one last shout, she dug her claws into the monster's chest, gushing out more blood. She then pulled both arms, ripping Sepultura's corpse in half. She then let out an aggressive shout as she lifted her head up to the sky. She then nearly slumped, but she was still standing. There was some blood on her face, but it wasn't her own. She just panted slowly, unaware of what the kids were seeing.

"Nicole?"

As a pink hand touched her shoulder, she yelped and turned, ready to strike. But she froze, seeing that it was only Richard, who was a bit surprised, but he stood his ground. Nicole panted a bit more, tension rising inside her.

"Nicole... it's ok." Richard said. "The monster's dead now. It's over." Nicole slowly came to her senses, seeing that she was about to stab Richard. She began to take deep breathes, then she lowered her arms, and the energy claws went back into her bracers. She then looked around, seeing Robotboy and Tommy behind Richard, then froze as she saw the kids. Gumball, Darwin, Aelita, and Carrie were standing there, all in shock. Carrie's expression was not as strong because she's dealt with stuff like this, but Darwin's expression was completely terrified. Gumball and Aelita had their mouths hung open, shocked, but also a bit... confused. Gumball had seen his mom angry, but he's never seen her this.. brutal. Seeing her kids brought tears to her eyes. Nicole knew at one point that she had to tell her kids about her secret life in the SPD... but not this way, and not to see what she was like. Before she could cry, Richard pulled her into a hug, as the mama cat hugged him tightly, trying to hold back her tears, but she couldn't. She buried her face into her husband's shoulder, crying out her tears. Richard stood there and nuzzled his wife, assuring her that everything is ok. He then turned to the kids.

"And that's why I don't piss off your mother kids." He said. "Always remember that." With that said, Gumball and Darwin gave a nod, and Carrie looked back at them and Aelita.

"Ok, can someone now tell me what's going on?" Carrie asked.

* * *

"GAAAAAHHH!" Raptor-Sniper shouted as he fired more sniper beams, but Sonic was too fast for them, and he fired back. The boys still had their long-ranged firearms, but they were shooting down most of the militia men than the four Shadowkan.

"Dude, we're not making much progress!" Mordecai said.

"Any suggestions?" El Tigre asked.

"There is one idea." CJ said, who then activated his Wrist Com.

"Barney!" He spoke. "Barney, do you read me?"

"CJ is that you?" Barney voice spoke through the communicator.

"Hey Barnes!" Sonic spoke taking CJ's arm. "We need support back here."

"Support?" Barney asked.

"You know, the Angels of Heaven, Air Strike, Bring the Rain!" Sonic said.

"Don't worry guys, we're bringing the rain." Barney said.

"We'll also need some choppers to excort us out of here too!" CJ said.

"Got that too." Barney said. "Don't worry, air strike is coming in now." Then a timer came onto CJ's wrist com, showing that they got thirty seconds on the clock.

"Ok guys, an air strike is coming in hot in less than thirty seconds." CJ said.

"Air Strike?" El Tigre asked.

"Yeah, SPD's gonna make it rain." Sonic said.

"Alright, let's move!" Jak said as everyone headed for the other side of the warehouse. They kept dashing as more shoots from Reaper-Robot and Raptor-Sniper shot at them.

"Hold on!" Ratchet said as he turned around.

"Rat, we don't got much time." Sonic said.

"Just give me a sec." Ratchet said. "Clank, we need the Mag-Net Launcher!"

"Got it, but what for?" Clank asked as he summoned the Mag-Net Launcher, a small, blue, and black weapon with yellow highlights, with a pumping tube connecting it's nozzle. The robot gave it to the lombax.

"To take care of some mutants." Ratchet said as he turned toward the Shadowkan and fired three mag-nets at the Shadowkan, trapping them in mag-netic spheres, and lifting them up in the air.

"Hey!" Silkoid shouted. "What the hell man?!"

"Something to keep you up!" Ratchet said as he ran to join the others.

"Hurry, we got fifteen seconds!" CJ called out.

"Let's get out of here!" Sonic called as the boys ran for it. But then Reaper-Robot moved in and blocked their path, preventing them from leaving.

"Oh no you don't." He spoke.

"Oh screw this!" Mordecai said as he and Rigby stepped forward. Aiming the Shock Blaster and Staff, they screamed as they fired like hell on the Shadowkan, shooting it not only in the chest, but also in the legs, bringing it down, it's arms, destroying it's mace hand and pulse blaster, and at it's face, causing it to fall over.

"Yeah!" Rigby shouted.

"We got it!" Mordecai cheered.

"Ok, let's get out of here!" El Tigre said as they ran for it. "How much time now?!"

"Eight seconds!" CJ called. Raptor-Sniper was unble to use his sniper-gun. He then heard a sound, a sound like fighter jets approaching the area.

**5**

"Uh oh..." Raptor-Sniper said.

**4**

"We're almost out!" CJ said as they ran toward the doors.

**3**

The boys leaped through the doors and out of the warehouse.

**2**

"We made it!" Daxter called out, as Jak looked up to see SPD fighter jets approaching the area.

**1**

"Get down!" Jak called out, and the boys jumped to the ground. The Jet fighters shot down at the warehouse.

"Oh this is bullshit-" Silkoid said.

_-BOOOOOOOM-_

The warehouse exploded as the jets rained down on it like the fires of heaven. Reaper-Robot shrieked as the shots hit him, causing him to explode, along with Raptor-Sniper, Gray-Man, and Silkoid, who was still pissed. The whole place went up in flames. Sonic, CJ, El Tigre, Diamondhead, Ratchet and Clank, Jak and Daxter, Mordecai, Rigby, and Skips were safe and sound. As they lifted their heads up, they saw the building in flames. Most of them gave sigh of relief, while some of them actually gave chuckles and thumbs ups as they got back up.

"Yeah... that was rad." Sonic said. The boys then cheered, but that cheering was cut short as they saw a black doom buggie pull up yards away from them. Getting out of it was Drex, still in his Death-Metal Hyena Armor, who was bruised up from Behemoth's fall.

"We're not done yet." Drex hissed.

"Oh yeah, almost forgot about you." Sonic said. Then a dark bolt stroke the ground near Drex's truck, revealing to be General Voidus, with Lionizer, Heliotoid, Gorgon, and Behemoth emerging as well. Wiping the dirt off his armor, Drex stepped forward, as did the remaining Shadowkan.

"With your permission, I want to destroy Captain Japan." Voidus said.

"He's all your's." Drex said, as his arm extended a metal blade. "But the blue rat is mine."

"Will this guy just give up already?" Daxter asked.

"Looks like we'll have to give him a reason too." Jak said, pulling his Macestaff out.

"Skips, get Mordo and Rigs out of here." Diamondhead said.

"Got it!" Skips said as he picked up Mordecai and Rigby and took off to the others.

"Dude, we can walk you know." Mordecai said as they left. Diamondhead looked right at Heliotoid, seeing the flames evaporating from his body.

"One of those Kaijin is a fire type." He said.

"Then go Heatblast and fight fire with fire!" Ratchet said, with the others looking at him. "What, I keep up to date with this guy."

"I do not think fire would be that effective Ratchet." Clank said.

"He's right." Diamondhead said. "That thing can absorb the fire and replenish itself. So, we're gonna have to do the opposite." Sonic knew what Ben meant. To fight fire, they'll need the opposite of fire.

"But Ben, I don't think Ripjaws would be able to fight well against it though." Sonic said. "That thing will burn you up like a fish out of water."

"Who said anything about Ripjaws?" Diamondhead asked. "We're gonna make it colder." Turning he Omnitrix a bit on his chest, he slammed his fist into it, emitting a blast of green light. Then as the light cleared, another alien took its place, all blue with green eyes, covered in a cloak, and his face looking like a skull.

"Whoa!" Everyone said.

"Dude!" Sonic said amazed. "I never seen that alien before. What is it? Some kind of death-like alien?"

"Actually, it's a Necrofriggian." Clank said. "They are actually insectoid that are intangible and freeze anything in various ways."

"What the little guy said." The blue alien said. "But I like to call it... BIG CHILL!" His robe them dissaperated, revealing it to be his wings, his body showing an insectoid appearance, proving Clank's logic, as a quickly cold breeze evaporated from him, causing the guys to shiver a bit.

"Wow, that is cold." Jak said. The heroes then faced back at Drex and the Shadowkan.

"Kill them all!" Drex said as he charged forward.

"Shadowkan, Attack!" Voidus called out, as the rest of the Shadowkan gave cheers and roars, charging with Drex toward the heroes.

"So... what now?" Daxter asked. Sonic only sighed but gave a smile.

"We fight." Sonic said, spinning his sword. With that said, he began to walk forward.

"C'mon Dax... Let's Rock!" Jak said as he lifted his Macestaff and followed suit, as Daxter held on tight.

"Ok, this will be fun." Ratchet said, summoning his Omniwrench and Combustor, joining the walk.

"Alright, let's freeze things up." Big Chill said with a nod and flew up with the boys, as Captain Japan and El Tigre followed suit. The Shadowkan were charging, and pretty soon, so were the heroes.

"Dude, they're not stopping!" El Tigre called out.

"Neither are we, kid!" CJ called out. "You got a problem with that?"

"Not at all!" El Tigre called out.

"Then don't hold anything back!" Sonic called out as their running quickly shifted to charging. Within seconds, both groups collided, with Sonic swordfighting Drex, CJ fighting Voidus, Big Chill countering Heliotoid, Jak and Daxter brawling Behemoth, El Tigre scratching Gorgon, and Ratchet and Clank shooting Lionizer. There was lots of fighting, clanging, slashing, shooting, punching and kicking, it was hard to keep up with who. Gorgon then flipped out his long tongue in attempt to strike El Tigre. The boy however, dodging each one. He tried grapple clawing, but the beast was evasive to each shot.

"Well, if he wants to use that tongue of his... might as well use it against him!" El Tigre shouted as he dodged Gorgon's tongue flip, but this time, the boy grabbed onto it's tongue, and pulled the Shadowkan forward, slamming it straight into the ground and into the air a few times. He then pulled it down, and when it was close enough, with his metal claws, the boy swung down and sliced Gorgon's tongue right off!

"GAAAHHH!" Gorgon shouted in pain. As the creature stumbled, El Tigre saw this opportunity to grapple claw again, this time with both claws, grabbing both of Gorgon's wings.

"You're not going anywhere!" El Tigre shouted as he pulled the Shadowkan down and slammed him into the ground again.

"TIGER SWIPE!" He shouted as he extended his claws and swung, making a shockwave that striked Gorgon so hard that he flew out of the area.

"Strike three, you're out." El Tigre said.

Ratchet was jumping and dodging Lionizer's blades, while firing his Combuster Pistol. But the Shadowkan was flinging them back with his sowrds. Luckily, with Clank as the backseat driver, was able to coordinate where Lionzer was going to swing next for Ratchet to dodge.

"This thing won't stop swinging his swords!" Ratchet said.

"Ratchet, I do not think the Combuster will exterminate him." Clank said.

"Just noticed that." Ratchet said as he dodged another swing. "Got any ideas?"

"Perhaps we should... _Pixelize_ him." Clank said.

"Right!" Ratchet said as he summoned another weapon, a white block-like gun that fitted within the lombax's arm like a glove, with a black lower cone with a larger blue cone surrounding much the front of the weapon, and the green screen at the end from which its blasts are fired.

"Hey Lion-freak!" Ratchet called out.

"It's Lionizer!" The Shadowkan said as he clanged his swords together to form an X.

"Say hello to the Pixelizer." Ratchet said, holding up his gun.

"Hello... and Die!" Lionizer shouted as he charged forward to swing, and Ratchet fired, shooting a blast of green energy, striking the Shadowkan and sending him on the ground. As the beast struggled to get up, he looked at his right arm and sword, and saw that part of his sword was pixelated, and began to break apart into pixel blocks.

"Wha... what have you done?!" Lionizer asked.

"Prepare to be Pixelated, bitch." Ratchet said, aiming his gun again. Lionizer got back up and tried to counter, but the lombax fired again, pixelating his other sword, and then shot him again, and again, with parts of the Shadowkan's body beginning to morph into 2D pixel images. This time, Ratchet charged his Pixelizer up, and fired once more, releasing a Megablast 64 on the beast, where his right arm broke into pixel blocks. The shadowkan screamed as his arm was broken up and he was on the ground.

"Perfect score." Ratchet said.

Big Chill was at arms with Heliotoid, who was firing balls of fire at the alien. Since Big Chill was an Ice-type alien, he has the power of Cryokinesis, to manipulate ice and use it as a weapon. He was firing beams of ice, while Heliotoid dodged.

"Seriously dude, you need to... _Chill Out_." Big Chill said.

"The only one who will chill out is you, when I engulf you in flames!" Heliotoid shouted as he fired columns of flames in Big Chill's direction, and forming a fire circle around the alien.

"You shall burn!" Heliotoid shouted as he fired a burst of flames against Big Chill. The fire began to engulf him. But to the Shadowkan's surprise, the alien wasn't burning up!

"WHAT?!" Heliotoid asked.

"I forgot to mention." Big Chill spoke. "Nothing can heat me up... I'm way too cold to be burned." Raising his hand forward, he fired an Ice Beam, which struck Heliotoid in the arm, freezing his entire arm. Surprised by this, Heliotoid gave a loud screech and charged forward, as Big Chill did the same. The beast leaped in to attack, but then Big Chill became intangible, and phased right through the creature, not only evading the attack, but also freezing the Shadowkan in ice crystal. With this opportunity, the alien generated spiked balls of ice around his fists, and swung hard, shattering the Shadowkan into nothing but ice pieces.

"YAAAAAHH!" Behemoth shouted as he threw his fist down, as Jak dodged and aimed his morph gun, equiped with the Blaster Mod. He shot bullet after bullet as the Shadowkan attacked again.

"Jak!" Daxter shouted. "Aim for the head!"

"I am!" Jak shouted as he fired again. Then Behemoth raised both fists up and slammed them hard, as Jak quickly backflipped and evaded the attack.

"Ok, time for some brawn!" Jak said as he pulled out his Macestaff, jumping onto both fists and leaped in, slamming his sword into the Shadowkan's head, causing his eyes to boing out a bit as he was bashed into the ground.

"Did that do it?" Daxter asked. But Behemoth lifted himself back up. "No, it didn't!" The Shadowkan gave a loud roar in retaliation, that is until Big Chill came in and breathed its fog breath into its face.

"Hey, I had this!" Jak called out.

"Figured you could use some help!" Big Chill said, only to get swat by Benemoth onto the ground, and Ratchet approached them. "Ok, should've kept my eyes up front."

"What is it gonna take to take this big guy out?" Ratchet asked.

"Perhaps I can make a suggestion." Clank said. "Aim for the eyes." Heeding those words, Jak then aimed his Blaster up.

"Hey Tough Guy!" Jak shouted, getting Behemoth to stare at him, as the red dot from the blaster aimed at the eyes. "Lights out." He then fired, shooting the Shadowkan's eyes out, literally. One eye out, the Shadowkan screamed and flung back a bit. As he revealed his other eye, Jak fired again, taking out the other eye.

"GAAAAAHH!" Behemoth shouted. "My Eyes! I Can't See!"

"Ok, now we kill it!" Jak said, pulling out his Macestaff. Behemoth, completely blind, began to slam his fists into the ground, missing everytime. As his fist landed, Big Chill flew in and froze it to the ground, allowing Jak to smash it. Ratchet then fired his Pixelizer at the Shadowkan's lower body, pixelizing it up and it beginning to reduce into pixel blocks. As Behemoth's body began to crumble, Jak then gave one great throw of his mace into the Shadowkan's head, as it cut through. With one leap, he came in and pulled it out, causing the beast to spark up and explode.

"Oh yeah." Jak said.

"Wow!" Daxter said, then looked at the explosion. "Say, do they all blow up like that?"

CJ was still clashing his sword with Voidus, who fought back with his own blade. After a series of clashes, Voidus raised his sword and swung down, as CJ held his up in defense. But the Shadowkan general swung a kick, knocking CJ to the ground.

"Now to finish you off!" Voidus shoued as he raised his sword. But then, his wrist was grabbed by a grapple claw. Turning his head, he saw El Tigre.

"Oh No You Don't!" El Tigre called out as he yanked, pulling the Shadowkan toward him and onto the floor. With a leap, the boy landed on the Shadowkan's back, doing a kick while doing so. He got close to CJ and helped him up.

"You alright?" El Tigre asked.

"Yeah, I'm used to it." CJ said. Looking back, El Tigre saw Voidus getting back up.

"Ready for some more?" The boy asked with a smile.

"Sure, if you are." CJ said. The boy smirked, and the two made a charge toward Voidus, who then charged forward. But El Tigre slid down, nearly tripping Voidus with a kick, and CJ swung his sword, striking the Shadowkan. Then El Tigre swung his claws, striking him in the waist, then CJ made a quick uppercut with his fist, as El Tigre leaped up and swung. Both heroes bringing a wail onto the Shadowkan, causing him to smoke and spark.

"Shall we finish?" CJ asked.

"Gladly!" El Tigre said as they both joined hands and spun around.

"_SAMURAI TIGRE DRILL ATTACK_!" They both called out as they spun together, both spinning like a drill, and dived right into Voidus, bringing some major damage and sending the Shadowkan hurling to the ground, screaming and sparking up. As both heroes landed, Voidus struggled to get up, using his sword to pull himself to his feet. Looking back, and all around, he saw Gorgon on the ground without his tongue, Lionizer without his arm, Heliotoid in pieces, and Behemoth just brought down to the ground dead. Sonic was still fighting Drex and was winning. The Shadowkan General couldn't believe it. He was beaten again, this time not only by Captain Japan, but also by some random human and alien scum. Seeing that he was completely outmatched, he had no other option.

"Shadowkan! Retreat!" Voidus shouted. "Retreat!" He then fled, as did Gorgon, who sweeped in and picked up Lionizer with him, leaving Drex to fend for himself.

"Where are you doing?!" Drex shouted. "Get Back Here, You Cowards!" Suddenly, Sonic jumped forward and swung his sword, sending Drex off-balanced.

"Had enough Drex?" Sonic asked. The Hydra Force commander turned his head, giving a glare to the blue hedgehog.

"Stupid Hedgehog!" He shouted as he grabbed ahold of his own helmet and pulled it off, showing his face. "I'm going to kill you, and I want you to look at my face while I do so."

"Bring it on... knave." Sonic said, his hand telling him to come bring it. The man shouted with all his might as he charged forward, swinging his sword, while Sonic deflected each swing, but one powerful swing caused Sonic's sword to be blown out of his hand. With this advantage, Drex swung more, but Sonic dodged and flipped. When the blue hedgehog got to his knees, Drex's blade turned into a fist, and he swung a punch, but Sonic grabbed hold of the fist, and pushed, preventing it from making contact with his face. Drex gave a growl, and Sonic gave a shout, but the blue hedgehog was smiling and laugh.

"You know, this is just like _Infinity War_, where Thanos is fighting against Captain America!" Sonic said. "You know what happens next?! He gets fucked by Thor!"

"What?!" Drex asked, completely unaware of Ratchet coming in, and swinging his Omniwrench, made of unbreakable metal, hard against the sadist's back, and a loud crack was heard.

"GAAGGH!" Drex shouted as he fell to his knees from the severe pain. He froze, unable to move, showing that his back was indeed broken. Seeing the chance, Sonic then picked up his sword, then grabbed Drex's metal arm, and swung his sword, chopping it off, revealing wires at the end of Drex's lower arm as he screamed.

"See ya!" Sonic shouted, swinging his sword right in Drex's face, sending him stumbling.

"Quick Claws!" El Tigre shouted as he charged in and swiped his claws, striking Drex with each attack and ripping his coat.

"Samurai-Strike!" CJ shouted as she swung his sword and slashed through, with Drex almost falling to his knees, and his shoulder armor broken off.

"Heads Up!" Ratchet said, summoning his Sonic Eruptor, a weapon which holds a xenegote, a frog-like creature that emits a strong soundwave. The lombax fired, with the Xenegote erupting a powerful soundwave, blowing and blasting Drex into the air, shattering more of his armor.

"Freeze!" Big Chill spoke as he gushed a breath of fog, trapping Drex into an ice block.

"My Turn!" Jak called out, swinging his Mace into the block, not only breaking it, but also sending Drex across the field, onto the ground. The Hydra commander attempted to get up, but his back was broken, he could only swing one arm. Sonic then slowly approached him. Drex attempted to punch, but Sonic swat it back.

"This is for Jeremie." Sonic said as he swat Drex with a punch to the face.

"This is for Odd." The hedgehog said, going up and punching Drex in the crotch.

"This is for Ulrich!" Sonic said as he swung his sword, hitting Drex in the face, leaving a mark.

"This is for Yumi!" The Blue Blur said as he performed a kick, knocking Drex in the back of the head.

"And this... this is for Aelita!" The blue hedgehog shouted as leaped into the air, spun very fast and performed a very powerful homing attack, sending the Hydra Force Commander down to the ground.

"Jak! Peace Maker!" Sonic said.

"Catch!" Jak called out as he tossed his Morph-Gun, and it transformed into the Peace Maker, which is the gun that has a Metal Head Skull mounted on the barrel that connects to an additional chamber above the existing ones. The blue hedgehog aimed forward, as Drex lifted his head up to only see too late.

"Hasta La Vista, Baby!" Sonic said with the Arnold Schwarzenegger voice, and fired the Peace Maker, a charged up energy sphere right toward Drex, who gasped as the sphere made impact. The blast from the energy sphere sent Drex right into the doom buggie. Unfortunately for Drex, he was caught into the side, and because his back was broken, he couldn't move. The impact also damaged the truck, making it leak out oil and gasoline, which led a trail straight towards the burning building. The flames caught onto the liquid and began to spread towards the truck and up the leakage into the car... The truck ignited, and Drex, who realized what was happening, let out a scream.

"NOOO-!" He shouted.

_-BOOM!-_

The doom buggie exploded in smitherines, leaving the vehicle in flames, with the remaining piece of Drex's helmet dropping to Sonic's feet, who then smashed it with his foot. The boys watched with great awe, and turned to see the blue hedgehog, flipping his sword with the Peace Maker over his shoulder. A satisfied look was on his face. Hydra Force was officially down, and his Kadic friends has been avenged.

"And that... is how it's done." Sonic said with a smile. Big Chill, Ratchet, and Daxter were cheering, as Jak gave an approving nod, as did Clank.

"Dude, that was awesome!" Big Chill said, his breath blowing in on Sonic, causing the blue hedgehog to shiver.

"Yeah, remember who you breathe on, ok?" Sonic asked.

"Oh sorry, forgot I'm still like this." Big Chill said. Then suddenly, the omnitrix symbol on his chest began to beep red, and within two seconds, a green light flashed, revealing Ben in his usual human body.

"Just in the nick of time." Ben said.

"Way to go, Sonic." Ratchet said.

"Bravo indeed." Clank said.

"Yeah, you did alright." Jak said.

"Thanks guys, but we all did it, together." Sonic said with a thumbs up. With that said, Daxter jumped off of Jak's shoulder and smiled.

"Aww Yeah, the boys are back in town!" He said. As the boys gave a couple more cheers, Sonic turned his head to see Captain Japan and El Tigre approaching them.

"What do you think?" Sonic asked.

"I have to admit, I'm very impressed." CJ said, pressing the switch on his belt, morphing back to his casual attire.

"Better than using those men in the dresses, right?" Sonic asked.

"Yeah." CJ said. Sonic then realized, he hasn't had the chance to introduce him to his friends yet.

"Oh, introductions." Sonic said, turning to his friends. "Boys, this is Jamiko Miyamoto, aka Captain Japan or as I like to call him CJ."

"Hi." Ratchet said as Clank gave a wave.

"Hello!" Daxter said as Jak gave a nod.

"Hey there." Ben said. "Nice to meet a fellow intergalactic protector."

"Same here." CJ said. Then all focus was toward El Tigre.

"And this is... El Tigre." Sonic said. As CJ gave a nod, El Tigre removed his helmet, revealing the white bushy hair with the tuff sticking on the left side. It was Lincoln Loud!

"Oh..." Sonic said, almost astonished. "And you must be..."

"Lincoln Loud." The boy said, giving a salute. "Reporting for duty sir."

"It's ok, you don't need to give a salute." Sonic said.

"Oh, sorry." Lincoln said, then turned back to CJ. "So... how did I do?"

"You did fantastically." CJ said. "Knew that you could do it." Hearing that made the boy blush.

"Nice to meet you Lincoln." Sonic said. "I'm-"

"I know, you're Sonic the Hedgehog." Lincoln said. "Quite a fan."

"Thanks." Sonic said.

"And I'm-" Ben said.

"Ben Tennyson." Lincoln said. "Nice to meet you too. I heard about your fight with Vilgax. Awesome work too."

"Oh, you've heard about that." Ben said. "Yeah, Vilgax just wanted an audience."

"Yeah, and you pulled Diamondhead out of your hat and kicked his behind." Lincoln said. The boy then found himself almost going fanboy, and quickly halted himself. "Sorry. Getting a little over excited."

"It's alright." Ben said. "Comes with the territory." Sonic gave a chuckle.

"And you guys must be?" CJ asked, looking at the two duos.

"Jak, son of Damas." Jak said.

"And I'm Daxter, but you can call me... Orange Lightning!" Daxter said giving a little lightning sound effect.

"I'm Ratchet." The lombax said. "And this is Clank." The robot jumped off of Ratchet's back and gave a wave.

"Hello." Clank said.

"Whoa, an actual talking robot!" Lincoln said. "Does he fight like that blue one?"

"Something like that, our friend Al did install blasters in his fingertips, and he can use his propellers as melee weapons." Ratchet said.

"Yes, but my greatest weapon is my vast intellegence." Clank said, but then examined Lincoln carefully. "Hmmm... I noticed that your upper central incisor is chipped."

"His what?" Sonic asked.

"My front teeth." Lincoln said. "Yeah, got it from an accident, which I really don't want to talk about."

"Ben!" A couple of voices called out. Turning his head, Ben saw Mordecai and Rigby running up to him.

"Mordo! Rigs!" Ben called out.

"Benny Boy!" Rigby called as he clung onto Ben and hugged him, followed by a hug by Mordecai. "Man, are we glad to see you!"

"Nice to see you too Rigby." Ben said. "And you too Mordecai."

"Wow, look how tall you've gotten." Mordecai said. "Almost seven years, can you believe it?"

"Ben, you friends with them?" Sonic asked.

"Yeah, these are buddies I met a few years back when they were in high school." Ben said. "I helped them out in a couple of tight spots."

"Yeah, you should've seen him back then." Rigby said. "He took on that Animo whatever his name is and went Cannonbolt on his b-ass!"

"Dude, it's been seven years and you're still talking about that?" Mordecai asked.

"Oh come on, it was amazing!" Rigby said.

"SONIC!" the voices got the blue hedgehog's attention. Turning his head he saw Gumball and Darwin running up to them.

"Gumball! Darwin!" Sonic called out, as the kids ran up and gave him a big hug.

"I knew you would come back, I knew you would!" Gumball said.

"Like I promised." Sonic said. The blue hedgehog has noticed that Gumball has gotten taller, probably an inch taller than the blue hedgehog. "Wow, you guys are growing."

"Maybe a little bit." Gumball said.

"Good to see you guys again." Sonic said.

"Dude, it's even greater to see you too!" Darwin said as Tommy, Robotboy, and Carrie approached the group.

"Hey Sonic." Tommy said.

"Hey Tom!" Sonic said, noticing how tall Tommy gotten the last he saw him. "Wow, you've grown too."

"Yeah, it's been a long ride." Tommy said.

"Sonic!" Robotboy called out as he flew in and gave Sonic a big hug.

"Hey Robo-dude." Sonic said. "You looking great too!"

"Yes." Robotboy said. "Robotboy happy to see Sonic too!"

"Gotta say, it's nice that you're meeting up with old friends." Ratchet said.

"Yeah... sure is." Sonic said. "Though... I couldn't meet up with everyone..." The blue hedgehog then turned his head. Soon surprise was all that came to him, like he saw an old friend, or a ghost at the same time. And it wasn't Carrie. He then removed himself from the group and took a couple steps in his direction. The others noticed and saw what Sonic was seeing. The only thing that was facing him face to face was Aelita. The blue hedgehog stopped as he was close enough, and looked at her. It was really Aelita! She was alive! A pregnant pause was all that there was, until Sonic raised his hand up with a slight wave.

"Hey stranger..." Sonic said. The girl gave a warm smile.

"Hey..." Aelita said, a recall from when they first met, with Sonic saying it first before. The blue hedgehog smiled, and then examined her from top to bottom, becoming fully aware of the bump on her stomach.

"Uh..." He said, trying to think of what to say. "You look great!"

"Thanks..." Aelita said as she approached him. "You made it."

"Well, of course I did." Sonic said, his voice almost breaking. The girl gave a hopeful smile, as did Sonic. But suddenly, he could not keep a straight face, as tears began to form in his eyes. Without hesitating, he rushed up and hugged her tightly, nuzzling against her neck, crying. And who could blame him? He thought that she perished in the school shooting. But she was alive and well now... but not everyone.

"I heard what happened..." Sonic choked. "To Jeremie... Yumi... Odd... Ulrich... I'm so sorry I wasn't there." The girl gave a frown of her own. Neverless, she wrapped her arms around him, concealing their hug.

"It's ok." She said, nuzzling her chin on his forehead. "You're here now... and that's all that matters." The blue hedgehog gave a hopeful smile.

"Yeah... guess that counts..." He said, tears still dropping down his cheek. The group behind them watched, all of them showing confused faces, even Gumball and Darwin.

"Huh... I've never seen Sonic cry before." Ratchet said. They all approached them.

"So... this is one of the friends you wanted us to find..." CJ began.

"Yeah." Sonic said as he and Aelita broke their hug. "Guys... I want you to meet Aelita. Aelita, this is Ben Tennyson, Jak, Daxter, Ratchet and Clank, CJ Miyamoto, and Lincoln Loud."

"Hey." Ben and CJ said.

"Hi." Daxter said as Jak waved.

"Hello." Ratchet and Clank said.

"Howdy." Lincoln said.

"Hello everyone." Aelita said.

"Ahem..." The cough from Gumball got their attention.

"Oh, Gumball, I take you already know her." Sonic said.

"Yes... yes I do." Gumball said with a smile.

"She's his new girlfriend." Darwin said with a smile, making Gumball blush.

"Darwin!" Gumball said.

"What?" The fish with legs said. "It's true." Sonic raised an eyebrow, then looked back at Aelita and back at Gumball.

"Oh, you two got a thing going on?" Sonic asked, with the blue cat's cheeks becoming more red.

"Uhhh... uhhhh..." Gumball said, with Aelita giving a giggle.

"You can say that." She said. Sonic looked at the cat and smiled.

"Don't worry, little buddy." Sonic said as he patted the boy's head, stepping aside, and pushing Gumball toward Aelita. "I won't be in the way." Gumball blushed even more, but then Aelita nuzzled against his head, making his blush go away, and smile. Turning his head, Sonic saw Nicole and Richard approaching the group.

"Mrs. W." Sonic said, extending his hand.

"Sonic." Nicole said shaking his hand, then pulling the blue hedgehog into a hug. Some have noticed there were a couple tears of gratefulness pouring from her eyes. "Thank you so much for coming."

"You're welcome." Sonic said. "Glad I made it. But you should also thank them." He turned to his friends. "They helped me." The blue hedgehog then looked around, noticing a certain little bunny was missing.

"Where's Anais?" He asked. Nicole looked at Richard, both of them having sad faces, as did Gumball, Darwin, and Carrie.

"She sold us out." Gumball said.

"Huh?" Sonic asked.

"Those guys were after Aelita, and Anais called them." Darwin said. "Anais was jealous of Gumball being close to Aelita, so she called those creeps here out of revenge." The blue hedgehog was surprised, how a little girl would betray her family like this. He lowered his head.

"What?" Sonic asked. He then looked at Richard and Nicole, who also nodded.

"She ran off too." Gumball said. "That was my fault. I may her feel unloved."

"It wasn't just you, Gumball." Nicole said, her hand on her son's shoulder.

"Wow, that bites." Ratchet said, hearing the conversation. The blue hedgehog turned his head. Anais sold her family out to those creeps out of spite? He only sighed.

"Well, she made her choice." Sonic said. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's ok." Gumball said.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I see we made it just in time." Skips said as he approached the group.

"Skips." Nicole said, more relief coming back to her. "It's good to see you too."

"You can thank Mordecai and Rigby for that." Skips said, referring to the blue jay and brown raccoon, who both gave nods.

"Your welcome." Rigby said, as Nicole rolled her eyes, but gave a nod in thanks. CJ then approached her.

"Nicole Watterson." He said.

"Yes?" Nicole asked.

"My name is Jamiko Miyamoto of the SPD's Japan Devision." CJ said. "We got your distress signal. We were sent to get you guys in safe hands." Hearing that made Nicole feel even more relieved, knowing that the SPD got her message.

"Thank you... I always knew they wou-" She said, but then her eyes widened, recalling his name. "Wait... Jamiko?" Hearing that took CJ a bit off guard.

"Y-yes, that's my name." CJ said. The mama cat stared at him in disbelief, much to everyone's confusion.

"Oh my god... You have her eyes... and her hair color..." Nicole spoke as tears began to form in her eyes. "Jammy!" The mama cat quickly hugged the boy, which only brought confusion to him.

"Ummm... I'm sorry, have we met before?" CJ asked.

"Oh that's right, you were only three when I last saw you." Nicole said. "My gosh... you look just like your mother." The teenager froze, his eyes widened with surprise.

"Wait... you knew my mom?" CJ asked.

"Of course I did." Nicole said. "She was my best friend, and so was your father." The mama cat then gave a frown, as tears started to flow down her cheek. She hugged him once more.

"I'm so sorry for what happened to them..." Nicole said. CJ looked at the mama cat, but he knew what she meant. The tragic accident that took the lives of his parents thirteen years ago. He gave her a hug of comfort.

"Thank you." He said.

"Um... Mom?" Gumball asked.

"I'm fine..." She said, letting go of the boy and wiping her eyes. "I'm fine."

"Do you know him?" Darwin asked.

"Of course I do." Nicole said. "This is Jamiko Miyamoto, son of Sakura and Ryu Miyamoto. His mother was one of my closest friends." The boy couldn't help but give a little blush from the attention.

"Wow, everyone knows everybody without even meeting each other." Ben said.

"Right about that." Ratchet said.

"Say, I don't mean to cut this little happy reunion short, but how about we leave before more of those monsters show up?" Daxter asked from the group.

"He's right." CJ said. "Hydra Force may be down for good, but with the Shadowkan working with the Dark Phoenix, they may not be far behind."

"Good idea." Sonic said, pulling out his phone, calling Barney.

"Hey Barnes, is the helicopters here yet?" Sonic asked.

"Roger that Sonic." Barney's voice spoke. "They should be here now." Then there was a sound of spinning blades in the distance. Turning around, they saw two SPD Black Hawk choppers approaching the area.

"Whoa..." Gumball and Darwin said.

"Huh, neat." Sonic said. The helicopters landed on the ground. The closer one opening up, revealing Barney inside.

"Hey, Blue Blur!" Barney called out.

"Hey Barnes!" Sonic called out.

"More people you know?" Gumball asked. "How many more people do you know?"

"I know pretty much everybody." Sonic said.

"He's not the only one." Ben said.

"We better get going." Skips said.

"Don't think there will be enough seats though." CJ said.

"Not to worry." Ratchet said. "We got it covered." Clicking his nav-unit, his starfighter appeared.

"Wow...!" Ben said. "Can I ride with ya?"

"Me too?" Mordecai asked.

"And me?" Rigby asked.

"It fits four people." Ratchet said. "As long as Clank doesn't mind sitting in the middle." The small robot rolled his eyes and smiled.

"I suppose we can arrange that." Clank said.

"Well you guys got your ride, I got mine." Jak said, clicking his own wrist com, which summoned his Minivan. With another push of a button, the entire van then transformed into the Hellcat IV, an airship with a short and narrow fuselage, ending with a rudder-elevator tail mechanism capable of refashioning to house the plane's tailgun. On both sides were L-shaped wings, starting with a short delta-shaped flooring that ends in long and narrow wing-like mechanism that run parallel to the fuselage, giving the ship an overal Ψ-shaped profile. The ship bears a blue color scheme with yellow and metallic-silver accents and trim.

"Dude, you're van turns into a Hellcat ship?" Sonic asked.

"It's how you use it." Jak said. The blue hedgehog gave a smile.

"Alright y'all." Sonic said. "Let's Move Out!" With that said, Jak and Daxter jumped into their Hellcat IV, while Ratchet, Clank, Ben, Mordecai, and Rigby got into the Starfighter, while the others went to the Chopper and climbed aboard. Some of the SPD men got out and moved CJ's motorcycle and jetcar, which contained Lincoln's suitcase, into the Helicopter. Sonic then looked back at what was left of the warehouse, and then back at his comrades. With them safe and sound, he felt more confident that they were ready for anything.

"You guys ready?" Sonic asked.

"Ready!" Gumball said as Aelita gave a nod. CJ then glanced at Lincoln.

"You ready?" He asked.

"You bet." Lincoln said with a confident smile.

"Then let's ride!" CJ said as everyone strapped in. Soon the doors closed and the helicopters rose into the air.

"Attention passengers, this is your captain speaking." Barney said. "Our next stop is SPD Headquarters. Strap in and enjoy the ride!" With that said, the helicopter turned around and took off, with Ratchet's Starfighter and Jak's Hellcat IV following them. The battle is won, but the Adventure has just begun. There were more surprises in store for them.

* * *

_**Shortly Afterwards...**_

The abandoned warehouse got quiet after that battle. The flames died down, and the Doom Buggie was in smokes. However, a badly burnt body emerged from the wreckage, showing Drex Archo still alive, but very badly burnt. His clothing was burnt with ash, and his metal arm was gone. He tried to limp forward, but there was so much pain going through his body. He fell to the ground, only wheezing.

He looked up, and though his vision was blurry, he could see the sun going down. He couldn't believe it. He lost. He lost to a blue hedgehog! He let out a shout of anger, and only laid there, defeated.

Watching from her hiding spot was a pink bunny in an orange dress, and she was not happy. She then turned away, and her face turned to anger.

"GrrrrAAAAAAGGGGH!" She shouted as she pulled her ears. "I can't believe it! They couldn't kill them! It's not fair! It's not fair! It's... Not... FAIR!" She laid on the ground, slamming her fists and kicking her legs. Those Hydra Force guys couldn't make the Wattersons pay! She laid there on the ground, furious.

_I hated you before you were even born!_

Gumball's voice echoed in her head. The blue cat's venomous words continued through her ears. Her brother never loved her... She hated him... She hated him... But yet... she still loved him. Despite her new hate towards him, she still held such lustful love towards the blue cat. And what infuriated her more was that he was giving his love to that pink haired slut. How could he choose some pregnant whore from off the streets. She didn't care if she suffered so much.

Anais continued to think, her eyes full of tears, anguish and hate. She knew that she had to make the Wattersons pay. She didn't care if they were her family. They're all imbeciles! She was going to make them pay, especially Aelita. She's gonna make that little skank pay. She's gonna hold her down, cut her arms off, slice her stomach open and rip that little runt out of her cunt. And as for Gumball... she's going to torture him until he screams, and she's gonna make him all her's.

"You want something done right, you have to do it yourself..." She said. "I'll make them pay... I'll make them all pay!"

"Awww... what's the matter, little one?" Anais's ears perked up as she heard the strange voice. She turned her head to look at the source of the voice.

"Who's there?" She asked. She saw a dark portal opening up, and as it disappeared, appearing magically out of it was a tall majestic figure, almost the same height as the Shadowkan General. She wore a long white robe, spiked shoulder arms, and upon her head was a massive oval shaped hat with a crystal in the center, with two horns, one on each side. In her hand was a spiked scepter with a crystal gem inside it. The bunny was surprised by the mysterious humanoid individual.

_**Shadowkan General Despair / シャドウカン将軍絶望**_

"W...who are you?" Anais asked.

"Oh, no need to be afraid, my dear." The sorceress said. "You may call me... General Despair." The bunny tilted her head, but only shook her head.

"Leave me alone!" Anais shouted, digging her head into her knees, and cried softly.

"Aww, poor thing." She said. "You seem to be in so much pain. Did someone hurt you?" Anais lifted her head up, showing tears of hurt.

"My family doesn't love me." Anais said. "They all love that stupid girl who can't even keep her legs closed. And my brother... I love him so much. But he doesn't love me, and he chooses that knocked up whore." She only continued to cry, as General Despair looked down upon her.

"You wish to make them pay?" She asked. Anais lifted her head up, and began to think.

"Yes..." Anais said. "I want to make them pay." Despair gave a smile.

"Then come with me." She said, extending her hand out. Anais looked at her with a bit of suspicion. This sorceress, who is one of those monsters she saw fighting against her family, wants to help her? Anais began to think... No. She's been thinking her whole life, but no more. She already had the answer. She took General Despair's hand.

"Ok." Anais said, as the color in her eyes showed a dark red glow.

_**END of ACT 1**_

* * *

**Alright, the heroes are now assembled! And there is still more to this story!**

**The fight itself was inspired by the Airport Battle in Captain American: Civil War, where the two fractions of the Avengers battle it out with each other. Movies like those always give me some inspiration. Only in this story, it's heroes fighting against the baddies.**

**Now that we've made it to the end of ACT 1, we're pretty much halfway done with the story... or almost halfway done, and I have lots to show you with this story.**

**But for now, I'm going to take a little break from the story, so I can give my other story Kingdom Hearts: Fractured Friendship a little more focus. I'm working on both these stories back to back, and it's proven to be quite difficult. But I really want these stories to get out and I'm taking my time with them so they're in the best shape possible.**

**You can find Kingdom Hearts: Fractured Friendship on FIMFiction. MLP may be over, but the fandom will never die.**

**So thank you all for following this story up to this point. If you have any questions regarding the story itself, feel free to send me a message through an inbox, and I will answer them when I can.**

**Hero-Quest Adventures: Jump Start will continue in Early 2020!**


	19. Chapter 19: Back to Base

**Hello! With the recent stuff happening in our world today, I've decided to give you guys the next chapter of this story. I was originally gonna post this on the 21st, but I had things to deal with. Better late than never, right?**

**First off, sorry for the long ass wait. I've been more preoccupied with my Kingdom Hearts / MLP story on FIMFiction. But now I'm going to take a break from that story for a while to shift focus back into this story. Again, this will be updated at an unspecified schedule, but the good news is that I'm going to bring more action this time.**

**Also, if you had noticed already, I've updated the previous chapters before posting this one, giving some more dialogue in some parts, redoing some of the scenes to tone things down a little bit, and also fixing some spelling errors. I'm still checking the other chapters for more spelling errors when I can. I've used WordPad when writing this story, so it doesn't give me notices of spelling errors.**

**Hopefully I'll be able to get Microsoft Word in the future for future installments.**

**So anyway, here's the beginning of the second act. Today is much of a breather, but in the next chapter, there'll be some training.**

* * *

_**Chapter 19: Back to Base**_

_**ACT II**_

While it has been a long long day for all parties involved, everything eventually ended well for the good guys. Hydra Force was out of commission, and the Wattersons and their friends are safe and sound. The test run was a pure success. But while victory is in their grasp, the adventure is far from over. The two SPD helicopters were flying overhead, with the Starship and Hellcat IV following suit.

"Wow, this is so cool." Mordecai said. "I've never been in an alien ship before."

"Cool?" Rigby asked. "More like awesome! Aside from quitting our jobs, this is the best day ever!"

"Wait, you guys quit your jobs?" Ben asked, turning his head from the passenger's seat.

"Yeah, Benson was being a asshole as always." Mordecai said. "He said he wasn't going to pay us anymore everytime we slack off once."

"That's horrible." Ben said.

"Yeah, but we don't have worry about him anymore." Rigby said.

"Because you guys quit your jobs?" Ben asked.

"Yeah... and that freak with the metal arm sliced him up up the middle in half." Mordecai said. The boy looked at the two, a bit shocked at what he said.

"Oh..." Ben said. "Sorry to hear that."

"Don't be." Rigby said. "Jerk got what he deserved."

"Dude, don't say that." Mordecai said. "Sure he was a jerk, but he didn't deserve to be sliced in half. I still can't get that out of my head."

"Not used to seeing somebody get killed in front of you." Ben said.

"Eh, death is only funny when it's not happening in front of you." Rigby said.

"But enough about that." Mordecai said. "What's been going on with you lately?"

"Me? A lot." Ben said. "I stopped an alien invasion, took on Vilgax again, time traveled, kicked a doppleganger's behind, overthrew an evil counterpart of me, and traveled to another dimension and helped a magical girl defeat a race of love sucking monsters who took over her world, then went to a big wedding right after that. Pretty much it so far." The blue jay and the raccoon stared at Ben with surprise.

"Wow." Mordecai said. "You really were busy."

"How was the wedding?" Rigby asked.

"It was actually pretty fun." Ben said. "They sure know how to throw a wedding. I also got a kiss from the groom's sister."

"Really?" Rigby asked. "Score!"

"Yeah, don't wanna brag about it." Ben said. "And she's amazing. Never met a girl like her."

"Sounds like you and the groom's sister gotten pretty close, if you know what I mean." Mordecai said.

"Ooooooo..." Rigby teased, as Ben only gave a blush.

"Guys, please don't rub it in." Ben said as the two gave a chuckle. But the teen gave a smile. The two were right on the spot. He and this mystery girl have gotten pretty close. However, his attention was dwelling onto Ratchet, who was driving. The boy looked at him with curiousity, then leaned to get a better look. This was noticed by the lombax, who moved his eyes and face to look at the boy.

"Uh... What?" Ratchet asked.

"Sorry, I'm just trying to find out what alien you are." Ben said. "I've checked the Omnitrix, but can't seem to find your species."

"Well that's because there's only me." Ratchet said.

"Only you?" Mordecai asked.

"Yeah, just me." Ratchet said. "And to answer your question, I'm a Lombax."

"A Lombax?" Ben asked surprised. "You're an actual Lombax?"

"One of a kind too." Clank said.

"Wow, I'm actually meeting a Lombax!" Ben said, filled with astonishment. "I've heard about your species. When I was little, Grandpa Max used to tell me about them, how they saved an entire galaxy from the Cragmite Overlords."

"Really?" Ratchet asked. "I didn't know about that. I was probably born sometime after that."

"Hmmm... I do not recall anything like that from my Data banks." Clank spoke. "Probably because it happened in a different galaxy."

"I take it he's the smart one?" Mordecai asked.

"Yeah, he is." Ratchet said.

"Well still, it's actually pretty cool." Ben said. "So... there's just you?"

"Pretty much." Ratchet said. "There aren't any much of us left, at least in Solana, the galaxy I grew up in. I crash landed on my home planet Veldin when I was just a baby. No note. No name."

"Like I was." Clank said.

"Huh..." Ben said, then clicked his Omnitrix, scanning through the holo-screens, passing images of Wildvine, RipJaws, Goop, and Grass Hopper. "Still no sign of any of them in the Omnitrix. Azmuth placed almost every single alien DNA in the watch. Maybe he didn't place the Lombax one in here."

"Maybe they're all being hunted down by a surviving Cragmite Overlord." Rigby spoke, with Mordecai giving him a glare. "What? I'm just saying."

"Riiiight." Ratchet said.

Back on the Helicopter, everyone was sitting in random seats. Nicole, Skips, and Richard were seating together a little upwards towards the cockpit, while Sonic, Lincoln, and CJ were seating together, along with Aelita, Gumball, and Tommy. Darwin and Carrie were also seated besides both groups, while Robotboy was inside Tommy's backpack. A long silence was engulfing the room.

"I feel awkward." Darwin said with a smile, breaking the silence at last.

"So... what's been going on?" Sonic asked.

"Aside from being chased down by crazy lunatics and monsters, a lot." Gumball said.

"I could tell." Sonic said. Tommy kept staring at CJ, who took notice.

"So... what's the whole story with you dressing up like a Kamen Rider?" Tommy asked.

"The J.A.P.A.N. Unit." CJ said, pointing to his belt. "It was built by a brilliant alien prodigy named Man-Chu, years and years ago. My ancestor Yoritomo Miyamoto used it to stop an invasion by SHADOW back in the old days."

"SHADOW?" Gumball asked.

"An inter-dimensional organization of Shadowkan who tried to take over the multiverse." CJ said.

"Shadowkan... those were the monsters we fought down there, right?" Sonic asked.

"That's right." CJ said. "This belt has been passed down within my family for generations."

"So that thing lets you turn into a high tech armored masked super hero?" Gumball asked with a smile. "Awesome."

"So... this SHADOW Organization." Lincoln said. "Do you think they're in league with the Dark Phoenix?"

"I don't know." CJ said. "They disbanded after I killed Lord Destruction, their leader. After that, some of the stronger Shadowkan survived and fled. We managed to hunt down a few in the past couple years. But if they collaborated with the Phoenix, then something must be up."

"But why are the Shadowkan working with humans?" Sonic asked. "I thought they despised them."

"Actually, Dr. Kamikazi teamed up with some Shadowkan a couple years ago." Tommy said.

"Guess they're getting desparate." CJ said.

"Or maybe they're looking for mates." Darwin said.

"Mates?" Carrie asked. "For what?"

"I dunno." Darwin said. "I mean, they probably want to save their species. The blonde kid did say that the monsters kidnapped female humans to repopulate their kind, so yeah." Sonic, Lincoln, and CJ looked at the fish with a bit of confusion. But the blue hedgehog knew that Darwin wasn't bright.

"He's not the brightest one in the bunch." Sonic said to Lincoln and CJ, who both gave a nod in agreement. Suddenly, there was moan.

"Huh?" Gumball asked, looking over to Aelita, where she was showing a nauseous and dizzy expression.

"Uh, are you ok Aelita?" Gumball asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine... I'm just not that comfortable flying in the air." Aelita spoke, quickly covering her mouth. CJ turned his head back.

"Hey Calhoun, we may need a paper bag in here!" CJ called out to Barney.

"We don't have any!" Barney called back. Lincoln looked around, searching for something.

"Is there an airvent in this helicopter?" Lincoln asked.

"Yeah, why?" Sonic asked.

"Open it up to allow direct airflow." Lincoln said.

"Hold on, I'll get it!" Darwin said as he used his arm to stretch and reach the button up top to open the air vent, allowing some air to blow directly on the girl.

"Is that helping?" Gumball asked.

"A little bit..." Aelita said. "But I'm still not feeling too good."

"Try taking deep breaths." Lincoln said. "But breathe through your nose." The girl glanced up and took in deep breaths, in through her nose, then out of her mouth.

"Cat kid." Lincoln said.

"I have a name." Gumball said. "It's Gumball Christopher Watterson."

"Isn't your middle name Tristopher?" Darwin asked.

"It was suppose to be Christopher." Gumball said.

"Right." Lincoln said. "Gumball use your hand and rub her stomach. Acupressure can help with nausea."

"Um... ok?" Gumball said. The blue cat lifted his hand and rubbed Aelita's tummy at the exact place Lincoln described. The blue cat rubbed gently, and the girl's dizziness began to dwindle away.

"Feel better?" Gumball asked.

"Yes... much better." Aelita said.

"Good." Gumball said, halting his hand.

"You don't need to stop." Aelita said.

"Anything for you..." Gumball said with a smile as he continued to rub her tummy.

"Wow, you know your stuff." Sonic said. "How'd you know that helps?"

"Something you pick up when you have a large family." Lincoln said. "And my second oldest sister Leni is in the nest as well, and I've been helping her deal with morning sickness."

"Second oldest sister?" Sonic asked.

"He's got a big family." CJ said.

"There's eleven of us... well, thirteen if you count my parents." Lincoln said.

"Eleven?" Gumball, Darwin, Aelita, Tommy, Carrie and Sonic asked.

"Yep." Lincoln said. "I'm the middle child, and I have two sisters in between, one before me and one after. Our oldest sibling is Lori, and our youngest sister is Lily."

"How many sisters do you got?" Gumball asked.

"10." Lincoln said. Everyone was actually surprise, with Gumball and Tommy having their mouths hung open.

"Wow..." Tommy said. "That's a big family."

"It sure is." Lincoln said. "I actually had bags under my eyes from the stress a while back. One boy and ten girls, but I wouldn't trade them for the world."

"Well you're a lucky kid." Sonic said, with Lincoln giving a blush and a smile. People have always asked him what it was like to live in a house with so many sisters, and they would praise him for being such a trooper.

"Attention Passengers!" Barney called out on the speaker. "We're almost at SPD Headquarters. Be ready to depart!"

* * *

_**Back at SPD Headquarters**_

Sally was making her way down the hall over to the vending machine. She was feeling a bit hungry for a snack. Hopefully something like some cheese crackers or at least some chips can keep her stomach from growling. She went over and placed a quarter into the slot and pressed one of the buttons. Unfortunately, the machine, while it was operating, didn't respond, and nothing was dispensed. Sally pressed the button again, but no response. She sighed in defeat, and leaned her head onto the vending machine, slamming her fist upon it. The room was quiet... very quiet. The only sound that was present was the clock ticking ever second that had passed. She closed her eyes for about a few seconds. Suddenly, she heard whispers.

_"Prisoners shall know pain..."_

The princess opened her eyes real quick, and she turned her head, but saw nothing. Except for the lights flickering on the ceiling. Wait, why were the lights flickering?

_"You cannot escape..."_

She turned her head again, but saw nothing but the hall. She heard more of this whispers. It was probably nothing. She just went walking down the hallway slowly, but the whispers she was hearing continued. She stopped in place. Were the whispers just in her head. Taking a look to her left, she saw her reflection in the mirror. Making her way towards it, she just stood there, looking at herself. Was she going crazy or something?

She just shook it off, and removed the ring that kept her hair in a ponytail, allowing it to flow a bit freely. She then glanced down at her wristwatch and checked the time, seeing that it was almost 7:00 PM. Sonic and Agent Miyamoto have been gone for quite some time now. She's just hoping they're ok, and she's hoping Sonic isn't just out fooling around as usual.

_"You belong to us now...!"_

The whispers continued again, making her turn around, seeing nobody behind her. What was going on? Was she having another panic attack or something? She glanced down at her hand, seeing that it was twitching. That was not a good sign.

Turning her back to the mirror, she gasped. She was looking at her reflection, but instead if showed her very pale, her hair a complete mess, and she was covered in blood. The Princess didn't know what was happening. She pressed her hand on the mirror, seeing that her weakened reflection was doing the same.

"What's going on?" She told herself.

"We're their prisoners now..." Her reflection said. "You're weak... helpless... powerless..." Suddenly, her reflection's eyes turned black with red pupils, and she opened her mouth, showing sharp teeth.

"AHH!" Sally screamed as she dropped to the floor. Getting herself up, she saw that she wasn't in the hallway. It was a dark place, and the ground was purple. She lifted her head up, and looked around. Around the platform she was standing on was surrounded by some strange black ooze. Sally's eyes widened with horror, realizing where she was at. It was the Black Comet, the home to the Black Arms race! But that's impossible! They're suppose to be gone forever! Fear began to take over her body.

Before she could react, however, a tentacle from the ground suddenly grabbed her leg, pulling her downwards. Three more tentacles appeared and grabbed her other leg, and her arms, holding her down on the floor. She struggled to get out, but it was no use. She was trapped. Sweat began to roll down her face as she tried to move.

"Help!" Sally shouted. "Someone Help Me!" Then out of nowhere, two smaller tentacles emerged from the ground, and one went into Sally's ear, and the other inside the other. She froze, and her eyes shrank, feeling the tentacles attach inside her head. She couldn't move, she couldn't talk, and she couldn't breathe. She could only grunt slightly. This was the same torture that she had endured during her time in captivity last time she was here. She knew at this moment what was going to happen.

Suddenly, three creatures emerged from the end of the platform. Turning her head, to her absolute horror, she saw two green colored yellow eyes Black Arm aliens with red claws and feet. There were two smaller ones, which were Black Warriors, and one Black Oak, the giant ones. They approached her, their mouths drooling, an their teeth showing.

"No..." Sally thought. "No!..." Suddenly, one of the black warriors jumped on, his entire body over her's, and her claws around her throat, choking the life out of her. There was no escape! Except... except...

_"Sally!"_

* * *

During all of this, coming from the end of the hall was Chase, still in his new SPD suit. He sure had a long day two days ago after the whole fight with the Huntsclan. With them out of the picture he can focus with the SPD and help them deal with these Dark Phoenix bad guys. As he turned right, he spotted Sally staring at the mirror.

"Oh, Princess!" Chase said as he made his way towards her. "I was wondering where you went. Do you need anything to drink, or something to eat?" The Princess didn't respond however.

"Um, Princess?" Chase asked. Suddenly, instinct came in, and he noticed something was very wrong. With him being a dog, he can sense whatever a person is feeling. Sally's frozen posture and the strange face of fear she was showing was telling him that something was wrong. He slowly approached her, and placed his paw on her leg.

"Princess?" He asked.

"YAH!" Sally screamed suddenly as she flinched and fell to her knees, leaning towards the wall. This made Chase jump and worry.

"Princess, are you ok?!" Chase asked. The chipmunk suddenly flung around, leaning against the wall in her back with her eyes closed. Her breathing was more rapid as if she was struggling to breathe. Chase realized what was happening. He quickly approached her.

"Princess!" He said. "Princess, it's ok!" The Princess didn't respond, and her hyperventilating continued to grow faster and faster. The German Shepard leaned closer to her ear.

"Sally!" He called out.

"Gah…!" She gasped, opening her eyes. Her breathing slowed down, and she finally caught her breath. Inhaling and exhaling out slowly, she looked around, and realized that she was still in the hallway. She turned to glance at Chase, who was showing a face of concern.

"Chase?" She asked a bit surprised.

"Sally, just relax." Chase said. "Just breathe, ok? Breathe." The chipmunk just sat there, still taking deep breathes in and out.

"What happened?" Sally asked.

"You were having a bad flashback again." Chase said. The Princess just sat there and stared forward, now realizing what happened. What she thought was really happening was all just in her head. It happened again. She had another flashback, or an panic episode of the experience she endured on the Black Comet. And by the looks of it, this one was a doozy.

"I'm sorry..." She whispered. "I'm sorry..."

"It's ok." Chase said. "I'm just relieved you didn't hurt yourself."

"Y...yeah." Sally said. She only stared at her feet, but she could still see the images of her flashback, where she was tortured.

"Hold on, let me get you some water." Chase said as he went to go get her a glass of water.

"Wait!" She said, her hand on his back, getting his attention.

"Yes?" He asked. The two sat there for a little while until Sally let out a heavy sigh and gave the pup a big hug, while letting a couple of tears drop from her eyes. It was still there. The little cracks in her mind and heart. Usually the flashbacks are not as bad since she got treatment for it, but this was a big one. Of course, even small bits can make one uneasy. Sure physical pain like arthritis and migraines can go away, but traumatic feelings can't be repressed or forgotten.

"I'm sorry..." Sally said. "I... eh..." She just held on, while the German Shepard pup nuzzled her with affection, understanding her pain.

"It's ok, Sally." Chase said. "It'll be ok." The two remained their in their embrace, while the Princess was feeling a bit of relief. One of the best things about dogs is that they're there for you when you need comfort.

"PTSD, huh?" Sally turned her head to see Alyx, standing from the end of the hallway with some concern.

"How did you know?" Sally asked.

"I've seen it happen to those who've seen a lot." Alyx said as she approached the two. "How bad was it?"

"Really bad." Sally said. "It's been a while since I've had an episode this big." Alyx sat down with the two.

"Wanna talk about it?" She asked. Sally turned her head. There was a small part of her that didn't want to talk about it. But her therapist had told her that she didn't need to keep stuff like that to herself. Talking to someone, such as friends and family, even if they don't understand it, can help her.

"You remember the Black Aliens?" Sally asked.

"The Black Arms?" Alyx asked. "Yeah, the SPD dealt with that a while back. I recall a black hedgehog blew up the comet." Sally gave a nod, knowing who she was talking about.

"Months ago... the Black Arms were moving toward the Kingdom of Acorn to claim territory." Sally said. "My father led his army into the field, while I stayed to protect the castle. I led my people against the intruders... but... we couldn't hold them off. They managed to break in, and they took me hostage." The chipmunk then began to feel a bit uneasy, but she kept going.

"They held me into the air with these strange tentacles... god.." She said. "They dug into my ears and into my back... all I felt was pain... not like broken bones or fractured arms, but pain all over, like they were controlling my nervous system. They had complete control of my body. I couldn't move... I couldn't do anything... I felt so... helpless." Her eyes began to water up, and there was a struggling of her trying to fight back tears. She could remember perfectly, how she was held in the air and could feel nothing but pain.

"And what's worse... the aliens... they tortured me nonstop for three days straight..." She continued. "They didn't... do anything graphic, but it was more than enough to... to...break me." She lowered her head, and began to cry softly. The tears began to flow down her cheeks. Alyx wrapped the girl with her arm and stroked her hair, as Chase nuzzled into her cheek.

"How'd you escape?" Alyx asked.

"Sonic saved me..." Sally said. "He got me out of there, and the aliens were wiped out from existance. Everything was fine, but after a while, I was starting to get paranoid. I kept seeing hallucinations. I began to feel uneasy. I began to imagine everyone around me turning into those aliens, including my father. The kingdom was asking me constantly about what to do because I was acting ruler while my father was working rebuilding the kingdom and it was too much for me. It got worse that weekend, and I just had a mental breakdown in front of everyone. I actually tried to kill myself." She removed her right Ring Bracelet, and showed a line mark at her wrist, implying that she cut there.

"Oh my..."

"Yeah... I was actually close to dying, until Sonic showed up." Sally said. "That was the first time I've ever seen him scared. He got me to the hospital, and asked me why I tried to take my own life, after I nearly cut his head off. I told him what was going on with me. What was happening to me." The girl lowered her head in so much shame. The agent next to her rubbed her shoulder in comfort, and Chase nuzzled her cheek, bringing a smile to the chipmunk. "I saw a therapist afterwards, and it was concluded that I had developed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from my encounter with the Black Arms. He gave me a list of options that could help me deal with this sort of thing. He adviced that I should take some time away from my duty as princess and leave home, as new surroundings can help. At first I didn't want to leave, but I didn't want to risk falling apart in front of everyone around me. So..."

"You left home?" Alyx asked.

"I did." Sally said. "I decided to move in with Sonic at his place in Adventure Bay. That's where I met this guy." He gave Chase a good scratch behind the ear. "I'm getting better. But sometimes I do have panic attacks. They're not as bad as before, but they're still there."

"Stuff like that doesn't go away." Alyx said.

"I know." Sally said. "And I can't undo what happened either."

"Don't let it get to you so much." Alyx said. "Just remember there's people around you that care about you. It's a long road, but you're getting there." Sally lifted her head, and gave a warm smile.

"Chase! Princess!" The sound came from the hall, where Marshall was running inside with a happy face.

"Marshall?" Chase asked.

"Sonic's Back!" Marshall said. "And he's brought friends!"

* * *

_**Outside the Base...**_

Pretty soon, the copter, the Hellcat IV, and of course the starship slowly entered the hanger as the doors opened up for them. The helicopter landed in the copter zone while the Hellcat and starship descended into the additional vehicle zone. The cockpit opened up in the starship, allowing Ratchet, Clank, Ben, Mordecai and Rigby to get out, while Jak and Daxter departed the Hellcat. The helicopter opened up, allowing Sonic, CJ, Lincoln and the rest of the crew to exit the vehicle.

While Sonic and CJ have seen the base, everyone else has not. Though Nicole and Skips had a sense of familiar ground, no one else did. Lincoln's eyes widened as he took a grand view of the massive room, seeing all the high-tech vehicles and the interiors with great detail. A smile was on his face, though he did his best not go squeal. This day had just gotten even more better.

As for the Wattersons, Gumball, Darwin, Aelita, and even Richard were quickly taken back by the view of the huge level they were in. Their reaction was just as big as Lincoln's but they were awing as they passed everything in the room, even the crates. Mordecai and Rigby were just as surprised, luckily Nicole, Skips, and of course Tommy made sure they didn't run off with the group.

Jak and Daxter were a bit surprised and impressed. The remote Haven City was a bustling city known for it's own share of high-tech technology, but this was way much more advanced than what they have seen. Ben had his own fair share of seeing extraterrestrial bases, since his grandfather is a senior member of the Plumbers, but he had never seen a home base used by the SPD, and honestly, he was blown away.

Ratchet and Clank were also astonished as well. They have done some research before coming here to Earth, learning that it's blue and green, with the oceans and lands. But they didn't know how a planet to the humans, where they use Level 2 Technology for their vehicles and appliances, had such secret intergalactic protectors like this.

"Whoa..." Ratchet said. "This is amazing."

"You're telling me." Ben said. "I've never seen a base like this."

"Wow." Daxter said as he looked around. "This definitely beats the strips back home."

"I am curious." Clank said to CJ. "How exactly did you manage to build such a fine fortress like this?"

"We've been studying whatever tech we could get our hands on." CJ said. "And we've used it to build places such as this. But I'll be honest with you, the one in my home country is much more impressive."

"So wait, there are different SPD bases around the globe?" Lincoln asked. "How many are there?"

"Besides here and Japan, there are at least a few dozen all over the world in almost all of Europe, China, even Russia and Italy." CJ said.

"What about one up in the far north?" Ratchet asked.

"No." CJ said. "Antartica is too cold, and we don't want to damage the environment."

"Yeah, but we can't do anything about that, though." Sonic said. He looked forward to see several others coming into the hanger. The first one to come out is Tails, who was very happy to see his blue hedgehog friend.

"Sonic!" Tails called out as he flew in.

"Tails!" Sonic said as the fox dropped to his level.

"Welcome back Sonic!" Tails said. "That was pretty quick."

"Good to be back Tails." Sonic said, as Ben came up.

"Hey Tails." The boy said with a wave.

"Ben!" Tails said, happily lifting himself up in the air with his swirling tails, and giving the teenager a hug. "What a surprise! It's so good to see you again."

"Good to see you too Tails." Ben said, and examined the fox. "Wow you've grown."

"Maybe a little bit." Tails said, but then looked around, as if he was trying to find somebody. "Is Gwen with you guys?"

"No, she's back home with Kevin." Ben said.

"Kevin?" Sonic asked.

"KEVIN?!" Tails asked, showing a face of aggression and disgust, remembering a certain ruffian with black hair he encountered with Ben a long time ago. "Wait, why is she with that... that ruffian?!"

"Don't worry Tails, he's one of us now." Ben said. "He helped us defeat the Hybreed and Vilgax."

"Really?" Sonic asked. "That's nice."

"Oh." Tails said. "But I still don't like him."

"Aww c'mon buddy." Sonic said. "If Ben trusts him now, then we should too."

"Well I don't." Tails said turning away with his arms crossed. "I can't believe he's around sweet beautiful innocent Gwen. Oh how much I missed her." The two tailed fox then began to smile and blush as he thought about Gwen. He remembered meeting her when Ben and Sonic crossed paths and they both worked together to stop Eggman and Dr. Animo. Tails also met Gwen, and while she only saw him as a friend, the two-tailed fox however developed a massive crush on her, and it seems that he still has it to this day. Sonic and Ben only stared at him with some annoyance.

"It's been almost six years and he still has a crush on her?" Ben asked.

"I know." Sonic said. "Say, you still got that picture of him kissing her when she gave him CPR?" Ben then pulled out his phone, and showed the screen, which displayed a picture dating back when Ben was around 11, and Gwen was 12. The photo was of Gwen, shocked and confused on the ground, with her lips locked with a younger Tails, who was enjoying every second of it. That was taken when Tails nearly drowned in the river and the girl tried giving him mouth to mouth. Turned out he faked it just so she would kiss him.

"Still as my screensaver." Ben said with a snicker, with the blue hedgehog chuckling along.

"Hey, what about us?" Ratchet asked as he and Clank approached them, getting the two tailed fox's attention.

"Ratchet! Clank!" Tails said as he was brought out of his romantic trance and greeted the two. "Wow, Sonic contacted you guys too?"

"Sure did." Ratchet said. "We just got back from battling some crazy monsters."

"Awww, I wish I was there to see it." Tails said, then turned his attention to the small robot. "Good to see you again Clank."

"Same with you Mil- I mean Tails." Clank said, but then he examined the two-tailed fox, noticing that there was something different about him. The last time he saw him months ago, Tails was a bit skinnier than he is now.

"Apologies, but I have noticed that you... aren't as thin as I last saw you." Clank said.

"Oh." Tails said with a blush, scratching his head and patted his stomach. "That's because I've developed a big appetite lately."

"What did you expect?" Sonic asked, joining the conversation. "You ate all those hot dogs in that eating contest back in Manhatten."

"Hey I only had one... hundred and fifty." Tails said, bringing a bit of surprise to Ben and Ratchet.

"I think you should put him on a diet." Ratchet said.

"Tried... but he learned how to cheat on it." Sonic said.

"Cheat on what now?" Lincoln asked as he popped his head from between Ratchet and Ben. Tails looked at the white haired boy with a bit of surprise. He's never seen anyone young with white hair before.

"Oh, right." Sonic said. "Tails, this is Lincoln Loud."

"Hi, you must be Tails." Lincoln said, shaking the fox's hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too." Tails said, but then noticed the boy's face. "Whoa, what happened to you?"

"Oh..." Lincoln said, seeing that he noticed the scar. "Got the scar from an... accident back at home."

"No, I'm actually talking about your teeth." Tails said. "You're front one is chipped."

"Oh." Lincoln said. "Accident as well."

"He comes from a big family." Sonic said. "A very big family."

"Oh, so is that why his hair is white?" Tails asked.

"Oh, not at all." Lincoln answered. "It's actually a genetic trait from my mom's side of the family. My grandpa has white hair too, and so did one of our ancestors."

"Sonic!" a voice called out, showing Marshall and Chase running toward the hedgehog. The dalmation pup leaped onto the blue hedgehog, making him fall to the ground. Neverless, the blue blur smiled and laughed as Marshall licked his cheek.

"Good to see you too Marshall." Sonic said, scratching behind the pup's ears.

"Sorry, guess I got a little over excited." Marshall said.

"Nah, it's alright." Sonic said. "I missed you too buddy." The boys were a bit surprised that Sonic was nuzzling the pup.

"Wow, didn't know you owned a dog." Ben said.

"I don't, but if I did, it'd be him." Sonic said, petting the dalmatian.

"Good to see you again too, Sonic." Chase said. "And company." Hearing them speak made Lincoln even more surprised.

"Wow... did those dogs just talk?" Lincoln asked.

"Actually, we're pups." Marshall said. "Well, I'm only 13 in dog years, and Chase is 14."

"I'm Policepup Chase and this is Firepup Marshall, at your service." Chase said.

"Nice to meet you guys." Ben said. "Name's Ben Tennyson. You have heard of me, right?" The pups looked at him with a confused look.

"Nope, never heard of you." Marshall said as Chase shook his head. Hearing that made Ben display a sad disappointed look. Guess they were the fifty percent that still don't know about him.

"Well, it's nice to meet some fellow animal talkers such as yourselves." Daxter said approaching them. "I'm Daxter, and this is Jak, he's with me." Jak only rolled his eyes.

"He always does that." Jak said.

"My name's Ratchet." The lombax spoke with a wave. "This is Clank."

"Hello." Clank spoke.

"And I'm Lincoln Loud." The white haired boy said. "Are you guys part of the SPD too?"

"Well, I'm not, but Chase is though." Marshall said. "We're actually part of the PAW Patrol; a team of rescue pups who save the day. I tagged along with Sonic. Because Sonic's my friend, and I'm willing to help him no matter what."

"And I'm one of the new recruits of the SPD." Chase said. "As a Policepup, I help uphold the law, and I make sure Marshall doesn't cause another accident."

"What?" Marshall asked. "I don't make accidents, I put out fires. I'm old enough not to make accidents."

"Not that kind of accident Marshall." Chase said.

"Then what acci-" Marshall suddenly felt unbalanced as he moved a bit to his left. Then he flipped over and rolled over, into the pile of buckets.

"Ow..." He said. "I'm ok." Lifting his head up, he noticed the bucket was still on his head.

"Ohhh, you mean these kind of accidents." Marshall said with a nervous chuckle, while Chase only shook his head. Sonic then turned his head, seeing Sally emerging from the doorway with Alyx. A smile came across his face as he saw Sally.

"Hey." Sonic said as he approached the chipmunk.

"Hey." Sally said, but noticed that there was a bit of dirty on his face, like he was in a fight. That's probably what happened. "So, who'd you pick a fight with this time?"

"Some shadow monsters and some sicko with a metal arm." Sonic said. "But don't worry, we won't have to worry about him anymore."

"Well, at least you guys are safe and alive." Sally said.

"Excuse us." Daxter spoke from behind the hedgehog, making the latter turn to see the others. "Are you gonna introduce us to your... girlfriend?"

"Oh, right." Sonic said, ready to introduce Sally to the boys. "This is Sally Acorn, daughter of King Nigel Acorn and Princess of Mobotropolis."

"Hello." Sally said with a wave.

"Princess?!" Ben and Lincoln said in great surprised. They quickly stumbled a bit and stood up tall, then gave a bow, which is a sign of respect towards royalty. Jak did the same, while pushing Daxter's head forward so he would bow too. Ratchet and Clank however, gave a salute.

"Honor to meet you, princess." Ratchet said.

"Thanks." Sally said. "But you guys don't need to do that. Sally is just fine." Hearing that made the boys tilt their heads. A princess who doesn't need anyone to bow to show respect.

"Oh." Ben said. "Well, guess you're not the only one."

"Only what?" Sally asked.

"Only Princess who would prefer to be called by their first name." Ben said. Sonic looked at the boy, surprising that he actually gave a bow.

"Since when did you start showing respect towards royalty?" Sonic asked.

"Just eariler this Spring." Ben said. "Long story." Not far from the group, Gumball and Darwin were looking at the massive room they were in. To be honest, they were astonished, way more astonished than the time they managed to open the money safe when they were at the gas station. That too is a long story.

"Sonic, this place is amazing!" Gumball said, getting the hedgehog's attention as the blue cat and fish with legs approached him.

"It's like Avengers mixed with Star Wars!" Darwin said. Sally, Chase, and Marshall looked at the two a bit confused.

"New friends?" Sally asked.

"Actually, they're the trouble-prone boys I've told you about." Sonic said as he introduced the boys. "Gumball Watterson and Darwin Watterson."

"Oh, the boys from the whole CHAOS thing, right?" Sally asked.

"Yeah." Sonic said as he scratched his head.

"Hey Gumball, hey Darwin!" Tails said as he approached the two.

"Hey Tails!" Gumball said as he high-fived the two tailed fox. "It's been generations since we've seen you."

"Same with you." Tails said. "I hope you guys haven't been causing too much trouble."

"Funny you should mention that." Darwin said. "Our house got blown to smitherines, and we were almost killed by a bunch of mutants and a psycho with a robot arm." Tails stood there a bit speechless.

"Um... ok?" Tails said, while Marshall and Chase looked at the cat and fish with legs.

"Whoa... a blue talking cat and a fish with legs." Marshall said.

"To be honest, I believe pretty much everything at this point." Chase said, with the two talking pups making Darwin gasp.

"WHOA!" He said. "A talking poodle and retriever!"

"Dalmatian." Marshall said.

"German Shepard." Chase said.

"But you don't speak German." Darwin said.

"Actually, I do speak German." Chase said. "Und ich kann auch andere Sprachen sprechen, wie Spanisch, Französisch, Italienisch, Chinesisch, Japanisch, Sie nennen es." The blue cat and fish with legs looked at the pup.

"Huh?" They both asked.

"I can speak in other languages too." Chase said.

"But what about you, though." Marshall asked the fish. "How do you have legs and breath without water? Are you a magical creature too?"

"Nope." Darwin said. "I got my legs and lungs from the love of my best bro in the world." He gave a hug to Gumball, who gave him a hug back.

"A fish being a brother to a cat?" Marshall asked. "That's... unexpecting. Usually cats eat fish." He then glanced over at Chase.

"What?" The German Shepard asked.

"I'm actually surprised your kitten allergies didn't act up." Marshall said. Chase then realized it too... Usually whenever a cat is around, Chase would start to sneeze.

"Yeah, I just realized it." Chase said. "Maybe my cat allergies are gone."

"Or maybe he's not really a cat." Marshall said.

"Hey, I am a cat." Gumball said, pointing to himself. "I got the cat ears, I got the cat muzzle, the whiskers, and I also have a tail. And I can do this... HISSSS!" As the blue cat showed his slant eyes and made his cat hissing, the Dalmation jumped.

"WHOA!" Marshall yelped as he hid behind Sonic, a bit shaken by Gumball's hiss.

"Don't worry, Marsh." Sonic said. "Gumball's not gonna hurt you."

"Gumball, shouldn't we stick with your parents?" A voice asked from behind the blue cat. He turned to see Aelita approaching the group.

"Who's that?" Marshall asked as he leaned his head out, as Tails's eyes widened with surprise, and a smile on his face.

"It's Aelita!" Tails said as his tails spun around, allowing him to fly up. He then zoomed in and hugged Aelita, who was quite surprised, but she was very happy knowing that it was Tails.

"Oh, hi Tails." She said.

"It's good to see you Aelita!" Tails said as he nuzzled the girl. "I missed you!"

"Nice to see you again too, Tails." Aelita said, and then hugged the fox tightly, nuzzling him.

"I can see that you missed me a lot." Tails said. "Man, I guess Sonic wanted to invite you too huh?"

"Well, actually, he saved us." She answered.

"Really?" Tails asked. "That's so cool! Gosh, you sure look... uh..." The two-tailed fox then glanced down, and with a surprising gasp, he saw the girl's stomach, rounded out a bit. "Different... You guys had lunch on the way here or something?"

"Excuse me." Gumball said in defense. "She is an expecting mother, thank you very much."

"She is." Darwin said. "Though people get confused with that." Tails's mouth hung down with surprise.

"Wait... WHAT?!" Tails asked. "You mean she's...?"

"Yes." Gumball and Darwin said in unison.

"Yes, it's been a... tough ride." Aelita said a bit nervously. Tails only stood there a bit surprised, and confused.

"But... but... isn't she-" Tails said.

"Yes, please don't ask about it." Gumball said.

"Oh, sorry." Tails said. "Man, I can't believe Jeremie actually had it in him, huh?" Hearing Jeremie's name made the girl freeze in place, but then lower her head with a bit of grief, making the fox show a confused expression.

"What?" Tails asked. "What did I say? Did she and Jeremie have a fight or something?" The blue hedgehog then realized, that Tails doesn't know what happened to her friends. He approached the two-tailed fox and took him aside.

"We need to talk." Sonic said. He then glanced back at Marshall. "Hey Marsh, can you give Aelita a check up, make sure she's ok?"

"Sure thing?" Marshall said. "Not only am I a Firepup, I'm also a certified Medicpup."

"You're also accident-prone too." Chase spoke with a chuckle, making the Dalmatian glance at him with an unamused stare.

Back with Nicole, the mama cat was looking around with her head in one spot. She had been here before, but all of this was much different. Everything looked more advanced, and it looked a bit bigger too. But yet, she felt a sense of familiarity around her. She never expected that she would be back here at the SPD. But at the same time, she was relieved that she was, and that her family was safe.

"Wow..." Nicole said. "A lot has changed since I left this place."

"Same feeling." Skips said. "Looks different, but it's all the same within." The mama cat gave a nod. Turning her head, she saw Arne Magnusson and Eli Vance approaching her. She gave a smile.

"Agent Watterson, Agent Skips." Eli spoke with a salute. The mama cat and Skips each gave a salute back.

"Sir!" They both said.

"Nicole, thank you so much for coming." Magnusson said, shaking her hand.

"Well, thank you for getting my message." Nicole said.

"And Agent Skips, good to see you too." Magnusson said.

"Good to see you too, Arne." Skips said, as Mordecai, Rigby, and Tommy approached the group, getting Eli's attention.

"And are these your park worker friends?" Eli asked.

"Yeah, though the blonde kid is new." Skips said.

"And you two are?" Mordecai asked.

"Arne Magnusson, and this is Doctor Eli Vance." Magnusson said.

"Doctor Vance?" Tommy asked, a bit surprised. "From Black Mesa?"

"Formerly Black Mesa." Eli said. "And you?"

"Tommy Turnbull, sir." The boy said. "I'm a friend of Professor Moshimo. You worked with him, remember?"

"Oh yes, I did." Eli said. "And you must be the boy he spoke highly about. I trust you're looking after his latest creation?"

"Sure am." Tommy said as he turned to show his backpack, with Robotboy giving a wave and a smile.

"Good to know he's in safe hands." Eli said, then turned his attention to Sonic's group and Gumball's group talking together, though Sonic and Tails left to chat alone, while Gumball and Darwin were talking to Chase, Aelita was petting Marshall on his head.

"So Nicole, how'd you end up meeting Schaeffer's daughter?" Eli asked.

"My son." Nicole said, seeing Gumball and Aelita laughing at Marshall's joke. "He found her one night and brought her in. After hearing what happened to her, I couldn't throw her out. Besides, they've been getting close."

"It was quite a risk letting her stay with you." Magnusson said.

"Yeah, but it was worth it." Nicole said. "So, how long are we gonna be here?"

"Once we deal with the Dark Phoenix." Magnusson said. "Luckily with Hydra Force down, we can now focus on them."

"We were hoping you could help us." Eli said. "We're gonna need all the help we can get." Nicole glanced back at her son.

"Those guys were also after my son." Nicole said. "I'm willing to do whatever it takes to protect them. I'm in."

"Me too." Skips said. "Can't let my old partner get into more trouble without backup."

"I'll help out, too." Tommy said. "Me and Ro both will."

"Hey, can we help too?" Mordecai asked, with all eyes on him and Rigby.

"Yeah, we can be of help too!" Rigby said. "Pleeeease? We won't break anything!" Skips only let out a sigh, knowing well that Mordecai and Rigby would usually get themselves, and sometimes all of them into trouble. But he has seen them fight pretty well against the Shadowkan, so might as well give them a chance.

"Alright, but only if he keeps an eye on you two." He said, pointing to Tommy.

"Sure will, Master Skywa-... oh, sorry, I mean, Skips." Tommy said, correcting himself. "Sorry, you sound like someone from a great movie I've seen."

"I get that a lot." Skips said with a smirk. "And I like it."

"Good to have you both back." Eli said. Nicole couldn't help but smile.

"Yeah... it's good to be back." She said.

* * *

As they made their way to the rooms, Sonic was trying to figure out what he was going to tell Tails about what happened to everyone back at Kadic Academy. The two tailed fox wasn't present when he read the report on the Computers, so how was he gonna explain this to him?

"Wow, you really brought everyone!" Tails said as they went into the room, nobody was inside.

"Yeah." Sonic said.

"I'm actually really surprised that you brought Aelita into all this." Tails said. "After everything that she's been through, I was expecting her and the others to just living normal lives. Though I'm more surprised that Jeremie and the others didn't come along." Sonic turned around and closed the doors behind him. Hearing Tails talk about the others only made him more anxious to tell him.

"So, how come they're not here?" Tails asked. "Did they have family stuff or something?" The blue hedgehog took a deep sigh, knowing that Tails had to know what went down last year.

"Tails... there's something I need to tell you." Sonic said. "And you're not gonna like it."

"Like what?" Tails asked. The two tailed fox noticed Sonic was looking a bit nervous, and sad? "Sonic, why are you looking like that?"

"Something... happened to Jeremie and the others." Sonic said. Tails raised an eyebrow?

"What happened?" Tails asked. "Did they move away?"

"No..." Sonic said, though he was really wishing that was the case. "Something bad happened last Autumn."

"Huh?" Tails asked. The blue hedgehog lowered his head, and though he felt tense all over, he spoke.

"There was an attack, at the school." Sonic said.

"Attack?" Tails asked.

"At Kadic Academy..." Sonic said. "These creeps raided the whole school, and they had guns, and weapons. They ravaged the school and killed everyone that was in their way. Aelita was the only survivor of the attack."

"Only... survivor?" Tails asked. Suddenly, the fox's eyes widened. It was now coming together for him. The school became a slaughter house, and everybody except for Aelita was killed? So... that means...

"They're... dead?" He spoke.

"Yes." Sonic said, looking at the floor. "Jeremie, Odd, Ulrich, Yumi, and the others... they're gone." Tails on the other hand, was showing denial.

"No... it can't be." Tails said as he turned away. "But they can't be gone. Not Jeremie." Sonic only expressed sorrow. During their time at Kadic, dealing with XANA and the Shadow incident, Tails and Jeremie bonded quickly because of their love for technology and computer wiz stuff, and the two-tailed fox was more than pleased to have a friend with a lot in common. But now, his human friend was gone, and Tails couldn't believe it.

"Tails." Sonic said.

"No... No... No..." The fox spoke, with tears dropping from his cheek. "No, they can't be gone!"

"I'm sorry buddy." Sonic said. "I didn't know either until yesterday."

"NO!" Tails shouted as he turned around and clung to his friend, beginning to cry his eyes out. "No, no, no, they can't be..! No!" The poor fox couldn't help but let the tears out, and Sonic knew why. He lost his friend, and he didn't even know about it. The blue hedgehog wrapped his arms around his companion, holding him close.

"Listen." Sonic said. "Those guys that took them out. They're not gonna get a way with it. I promise. I know this is a lot, but you have to be strong. Ok?" The fox gave a weak nod and held on for a bit longer. It took about a minute for the fox to let his feelings out, before releasing himself from Sonic. The poor chap took a deep breath, though there were tears still pouring out.

"I'm... I need to be alone." Tails said. "I'm getting hungry again."

"Tails... are you sure?" Sonic asked.

"I'd rather get a tummy ache than feel sad." Tails said as he made his way to the door. As it opened, he froze, seeing Aelita who was about to come in, but she halted as she saw the fox. He looked right up at her. The girl noticed his tear stains, and the ones that were still dropping. Before she could react, he hugged her tightly. Taken back at first, she then wrapped her arms around him, completing the tender sad hug. Half a minute, he released, and walked away, still showing tears. She then glanced at Sonic.

"You told him?" Aelita asked.

"Yeah." Sonic said. "He didn't take it well."

"I can see why." The girl said coming in and the door closing behind her. "He and Jeremie bonded so well."

"How are you feeling?" Sonic asked. The girl only sat down on the bed next to her.

"I don't know. A bit relieved that we're safe. But..." She said, her head looked away. The blue hedgehog approached her.

"So, you wanna talk about it?" Sonic asked. The girl didn't say anything. She only lowered her head.

"It's ok." He said, turning away. "You don't have to tell me about it, if you don't want to." Suddenly, he felt a warm pair of arms wrapping around behind him, feeling the embrace of the girl hugging him.

"I'm glad you're back." She said. The blue hedgehog was doing his best to keep a straight face, but it didn't stop him from shifting around and hugging her with his own arms. The report of the attack on Kadic was still lingering in his mind. She was all that was left from that place.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there." Sonic said. The girl nuzzled against his forehead.

"You don't need to be." She said. "There was no way you could've known."

"Yeah... but still." Sonic said. The pink haired girl gave him a kiss on the forehead.

"Thank you for coming when you did." Aelita said. "Now you're here, and that's all that matters now." The blue hedgehog gave a nod, and departed from their hug.

"Yeah." Sonic said with a weak smile. "Now I'm here. And I'm gonna show those Phoenix guys what happens when they mess with my friends." The blue blur gave a confident smile, The girl gave a smile as well.

"Thank you, Sonic." Aelita said.

"Aelita?" The door opened up, revealing Gumball coming into the room. "Oh, hey Sonic."

"Hey kiddo." Sonic said. "How you holding up?"

"Pretty good." Gumball said as he walked inside. "This place is so cool. You never told me that you were part of some super Intergalactic Protector Organization... or whatever these guys are."

"Oh, I'm not, actually." Sonic said. "They just called me, and I agreed to help."

"Hey, Sonic." A voice said from behind Gumball, revealing to be Ben, leaning in. "You got a minute?"

"Oh, sure." Sonic said. "I'll be right there."

"Gotcha." Ben said as he headed off, while Sonic began to head out too.

"I better go catch up." Sonic said. "Marshall will be back to check up on you guys." Before he left, he took a glance at the blue cat. "Oh, and Gumball?"

"Yeah?" The blue cat asked.

"Thanks." The hedgehog said, giving him a pat on the shoulder. Gumball didn't know why Sonic was thanking him, but he responded with a nod, and Sonic left the room, leaving Gumball and Aelita the only ones inside.

"So, how'd you meet Sonic, anyway?" She asked.

"It's a long story." Gumball said. "And it involved a lot of water."

"How so?" Aelita asked. The blue cat only chuckled, and knew that this was a story he needed to tell her.

"Two years ago, me and everyone were visiting Station Square with the big money mom got from work." Gumball said. "We met Sonic and I looked up to him growing up. We helped him search for the Chaos Emeralds when Mean old Robuttnik was trying to feed them to this water god that turns into a massive beast when it eats all seven of them. But in the end, Sonic ended up shrinking him back down, and it all ended well."

"Well that's good." Aelita said.

"Yeah, Sonic's the best." Gumball said. "The world wouldn't be awesome without him."

"He must really be your hero." Aelita said.

"Actually, I see him more as an Idol." Gumball said. "Sure, he's great and all... but there's only one person I call my hero."

"Your mom?" Aelita asked.

"No, my dad." Gumball said. "Dad's always been there for us to cheer us up when we need it, and he's pretty fun. Plus, dad's always around while mom's at work."

"I've noticed." Aelita said.

"Well, what about you?" Gumball asked as he sat next to the girl. "How'd you meet the Fastest Thing Alive?"

"Not in the way you did." Aelita said.

"Try me." Gumball said, making the girl smile.

"It happened during the holidays last summer." Aelita said. "Sonic was being pursued by the local law enforcement because they mistook him for a thief who robbed a jewelry store that had one of those... what are they called?"

"Chaos Emeralds." Gumball said.

"Right." Aelita said. "Sonic got into a fight with one of those big Military robots just outside the school. Sonic saved me when I was in the crossfire. And that's where we met the real thief... the Black Hedgehog." Gumball's eyes widened open.

"Shadow...!" Gumball spoke, remembering the black hedgehog with the red arrows on his spikes, and the red eyes.

"Yes." Aelita said. "Shadow was working with the crazy mad scientist that Sonic was enemies with. They were planning to use the gemstones to power up this massive space station in the sky and use it to destroy the planet. But it was all a trap by whoever created it, causing it to crash into the planet to destroy everything. Everyone had to work together to stop it from happening, though Shadow refused to help. But I was able to convince him that humanity was worth fighting for. I don't know what he saw when I begged for his help, but he seemed to have developed a change of heart. He eventually helped Sonic stop the station from impacting the planet, saving everyone. But Shadow, he gave his life up to save us."

"Gosh..." Gumball said. "That must've been intense."

"It was." Aelita said. "But everything ended well, and me and Sonic stayed in contact through letters ever since. He would write about all the cool adventures he had since meeting me."

"Wow..." Gumball said, but then something came to his mind. Shadow gave his life up to save everyone? "Wait, Shadow's not dead. Last thing I've heard was that he was alive during the alien invasion, kicking alien butt." Aelita turned her head at the blue cat with disbelief.

"Wait, he's alive?" She asked.

"Yeah." Gumball said. "The news showed him teleporting the huge meteorite back into space. Nobody's seen him since, but from what we know, he's still alive out there somewhere." Aelita looked at the ground, surprised that Shadow was alive. A smile formed on her face.

"That sneaky little devil." She said, giving a little chuckle after that. "Oh!"

"What?" Gumball asked, surprised by Aelita's sudden choked sound. The girl looked down at her stomach, and her hand rested upon it. She felt it. She felt another kick from the little girl that was inside her.

"She kicked again." She answered.

"Really?" Gumball asked as he rushed over towards her, and leaned his head in, and his paw on her surface of her bump. He gasped, as his hand felt a kick himself. "She did!"

"Guess she likes it when I'm telling a story or something." Aelita said.

"Probably." Gumball said, leaning his head on the girl's tummy. "Hey little girl, you like it when me and your mommy tell each other stories? Well, lucky for you, I have a lot more stories to tell you when you finally arrive... oh, wait... probably not..." The blue cat looked down at the ground. He remembered Aelita was still considering adoption for the baby. And although he supported whatever her decision would be, he couldn't help but feel sad.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"Are you still considering... giving her up?" Gumball asked. Aelita was a bit surprised, and she started to think. She hasn't really made her choice just yet, and surprisingly, she was actually conflicted. Maybe because part of her didn't want to give the baby up.

"I... I still don't know." Aelita said. "I haven't made a decision yet."

"Oh... ok." Gumball said, looking away, though his eyes were sighed upon her belly, and his hand was still on it.

"You seem attached to her, do you?" Aelita asked. She could tell, that he has formed a bond with the baby inside her. It was a bit surprising since he wasn't the biological father. But if anything, a man doesn't need to be a biological father to be a real father.

"Yeah." Gumball said. The girl couldn't help but feel guilty about it.

"I'm sorry." Aelita said.

"No, it's ok." Gumball said. "I'll be honest, I would love it if you kept the baby, but I don't want you to keep her for _my_ sake. The choice to keep her or not is still your choice. And no matter what your choice will be, I'll accept it." The girl looked at the blue cat, and then back at her belly. She won't lie, it actually feels nice carrying the little one inside her, and she felt joy when she would feel her kick. Maybe that's motherly pride.

"Well... I've enjoyed having her inside me so far." Aelita said. "I'll think about it some more." Hearing that made Gumball smile.

"Ok." He said. He then took one more glance at the girl's tummy and planted a kiss upon it. Aelita couldn't help but smile. Despite being young and optimistic for his own good, he would make a good father. As the two remained there, the doors opened, revealing Darwin, Chase, and Marshall coming inside. Both Gumball and Aelita glanced at the three, and there was silence.

"Oh, are we interrupting something?" Darwin asked. The blue cat and pink haired girl blushed and quickly departed their hug.

"No, not at all." Aelita said.

"Yeah, we're done now." Gumball said, though both of them blushed and smiled.

"Ok then." Marshall said as he and the others came into the room. "You ready for your check up, Miss Aelita?"

"Yes, I'm ready." Aelita said.

"Alright." Marshall said. He then let out a bark. "X-Ray!" His pup pack then sprouted out a X-Ray, which are used to allow doctors to see past your skin and organs to glance at your bones.

"I'm gonna check the bones in your body and make sure you and the baby aren't hurt." Marshall said as he approached her. He then lifted it in front of him to get Aelita's full body in view. The screen showed her skeleton, which is the framework of all the bones in one's body. All the bones are where they should be, and nothing looked broken.

"Your bones look ok." Marshall said. "Now let's see how the baby's doing." He then let out a bark. "Ultrasound!" His screen then began to change up, moving away from the skeleton scanning. He moved the screen closer to Aelita's stomach and began to scan. His eyes widened with surprised, seeing the unborn child inside.

"Wow...!" He said.

"Cool." Chase and Darwin said as Gumball looked in closer. His eyes sparkled as a smile formed on his face.

"She still looks cute..." He said.

"The amniotic sac isn't ruptured or anything." Marshall said. "And the fetus inside isn't injured at all."

"So, she's ok?" Gumball asked.

"She's perfectly fine." The dalmation said. Hearing that made Gumball go back to Aelita and his head leaned towards her stomach.

"You hear that, little girl?" Gumball asked. "You're invincible..." He began to nuzzle the girl's stomach, while Chase only raised an eyebrow.

"Awkward..." He said.

"Don't worry, he always awkward." Darwin said as Marshall placed his Screen pad back into his pup pack.

"You know, usually girls should wait to have babies when they're at least older than twenty." Marshall said. "How did you end up this way?"

"It's... it's a long story." Aelita said. Marshall and Chase raised eyebrows, but they started getting the idea of what she meant by a long story.

"You mean someone did this to you?" Chase asked. "Who?" The girl was about to speak, but she turned her head for a second, showing a little discomfort, much to Gumball's notice. The memories of her being experimented by the hands of the Dark Phoenix was still horrifying to speak or think about. She was able to tell Gumball, but she probably didn't want to tell them.

"Some bad people." She said.

"You mean like a cult?" Chase asked. Gumball and Aelita looked at each other. A cult is usually a group of people having religious beliefs and practices regarded as strange and sinister. The freaks who did this to Aelita wasn't a cult, but they were kinda like it, so...

"Yeah." The two said.

"Oh..." Marshall said. "I can understand that."

"Wait, you've dealt with a cult before?" Gumball asked.

"Well, me and Sonic recently did, though they weren't actually a cult, they were a bunch of dragon slayers who wanted to take over the world." Marshall said, but then he quickly covered his own mouth.

"Huh?" The blue cat and the girl asked.

"Marshall, weren't you suppose to keep the magical realm a secret?" Chase asked.

"Sorry, I forgot the fish with legs wasn't a magical creature." Marshall said.

"Magical creature?" Darwin asked. "You mean like mermaids, leprechauns, giants, wizards, and dragons?"

"Oh yeah, we know about those." Gumball said, with the Dalmatian and German Shepard looking a bit surprised.

"Wait, how do you guys know?" The two pups asked.

"Because we're friends with a giant and his mom, who is actually a witch." Gumball said.

"Yeah, this one time we tried to help Hector be cool and his ended up trashed the town, and Gumball begged his mom to give him wizard powers." Darwin said. "I made him get stuck in Hector's nasty toes to help him forget something embarrassing." The blue cat quickly tensed up and blushed hearing that.

"Dude, you promised not to talk about that!" Gumball said, but with everyone hearing it in the room, the pups couldn't help but chuckle. Aelita also gave a giggle, but suddenly she couldn't help but shiver. It sure felt a bit cold in here. Luckily, the pups noticed this right away.

"You ok?" Chase asked.

"Yeah, I'm ok." Aelita said.

"You don't seem like it." Gumball said. "You just shivered for a second."

"She's probably cold." Marshall said. "I know, I'll go get you some warmer clothes. Does that sound good?"

"Well... I do feel a little cold." Aelita said. "I suppose putting on warmer clothes won't hurt."

Soon after she said that, she then found herself wrapped up in multiple coats, most likely placed on by Marshall, overbundling her whatever coats were found, including winter.

"Um... Marshall, I think you overdid it... again." Chase said.

"Yeah, I think I did." Marshall said. The girl tried her best to walk, though she started to waddle a bit, and it was a bit hard to move her arms with all those clothes on. It wasn't as difficult as when she placed everything in the house on that made her look like a beach ball, but it was hard to move still.

"I feel like a penguin." Aelita said with a chuckle.

"A beautiful penguin if you ask me." Gumball said. Hearing that made Aelita giggle, and the others gave a friendly laugh. Despite today being so suspenseful, tiring, and tense from being chased by those Dark Phoenix enforcers, dealing with a little sister's betrayal and almost getting killed by monsters, Gumball and Aelita were very grateful that things turned out well in the end, with Sonic and his own routine coming in to save the day from their doom. Hopefully now that they're on the side of the good guys, they'll feel much safer. But they knew that there was a fight up ahead, so for now they should just enjoy it while they can.

* * *

Back with Ratchet and Clank, the two were exploring the SPD Base Halls. It was almost late and they knew they needed to get some well earned rest. After all, they have just beatened a squad of Shadowkan and Vicious Mercenaries, so they needed it. For two space travelers who have been in a galaxy that was very high tech and more advanced than humans, they were a bit impressed how he SPD's own technology was more advanced than what they have red in the reports.

"Wow... this place really must have it all." Ratchet said. "For a species who are only at Level 2 Technology, they're truly in the right direction."

"They are probably using technology that is what they have considered Alien." Clank said.

"Well, we're pretty much alien ourselves." Ratchet said.

"True." Clank said. "But we should still be very careful."

"Don't worry, Clank." Ratchet said. "Sonic trusts these guys, and that masked rider guy with the cool bike seems legit."

"It's not that I'm worried about." Clank said. "Those monsters that we have faced today were unlike anything we have ever seen. And if they come in all shapes and sizes, then there could be more of them on this planet." The little robot had a strong point. They have faced other alien life forms back in their galaxy, ranging from Blarg, Sea-Mutants, Robots, Protopets, even the Thugs-4-Less. These Shadow-Mutants were unlike anything they have ever seen. Good thing Ratchet spent two weeks training as a Commado during his time in Bogon, otherwise they wouldn't have had stood a chance despite having loads ot weapons. They didn't know much about these monsters, but Ratchet knew one thing, Clank was right. They'll need to be careful, and not be too cocky.

"You're absolutely right." Ratchet said. "We better let the Rangers know about this just to be safe. We'll inform Elaris where we are so they don't get worried."

"Check." Clank said. Pretty soon, they were joined by Sonic, Ben, Jak, Daxter, CJ and Lincoln, with the latter still amazed that he's inside the SPD headquarters.

"Wow... to think the outside looked amazing, the halls are even more amazing." Lincoln said.

"Yeah, this certainly beats home." Jak said. "Haven City's got it's own share of advanced technology, but nothing like this."

"And Spargus is more of an outland post-apocalypse city." Daxter said. "I can get used to this place."

"You know, it's nice that we got to meet up with old friends, and new friends." Ben said. "And it's more cool that we're all fighting side by side."

"Yeah." Sonic said, but he didn't look at the boy. He only glanced forward, much to Ben's notice.

"You ok?" Ben asked.

"Yeah, I'm trying to be." Sonic said.

"Never faced monsters like that before, huh?" Ben asked. "You're not the only one who hasn't."

"It's not that what's bugging me." Sonic said.

"Then what is?" Ratchet asked.

"Aelita." Sonic said.

"The pink haired girl?" Daxter asked. "What about her? You weren't expecting her to end up as a teen mom or something?"

"Dax, don't say that." Jak said.

"I'm just saying." Daxter said.

"No, not that... well, actually yes." Sonic said. "It's been a whole year since I've seen her after the ARK incident, and I didn't expect so much change since the last time we've talked."

"Oh, did she tell you about what happened?" Lincoln asked.

"What happened?" Ben asked, with the white haired boy looking at him with a bit of surprise.

"Wait, you guys don't know?" Lincoln asked.

"Know what?" Ben asked. Sonic stopped in his tracks, and so did everyone else.

"Ok, what's going on?" Jak asked. The blue hedgehog glanced at his friends, and started to think. Should he tell them?

"Sonic." CJ said. "I'm sure they can handle it. You can tell them." Hearing his encouragement helped the speed demon find the strength to talk about it.

"You ever heard of the Kadic Massacre?" Sonic asked.

"The Kadic Massacre?" Ben asked with a bit of surprise, as Jak and Daxter were also aware of. "Yeah, I've heard about it. Grandpa Max told me about shortly after it happened.

"I'm sorry, what's the Kadic Massacre?" Ratchet asked.

"A Massacre is an event where crazed people slaughter other people." Daxter said.

"I know what Massacre means." Ratchet said.

"He was asking about the event." Clank said.

"Oooh." Daxter said.

"It happened in the beginning of Fall last year." Jak said. "The incident took place at Kadic Academy."

"One of the many boarding schools for students with talents and exceeding expectations." Ben said.

"Last September during the start of the school year, the place was ravaged by terrorists." Jak said. "They just showed up at the school with guns and weapons, started killing anyone that stood in their way."

"The worse part was that nobody escaped it." Ben said. "Teachers and students alike were blown and ripped to pieces as the terrorists charged right in. The whole school was destroyed in their path, and there were no survivors. The place has been abandoned since, and now acts like a ghost town." Ratchet and Clank were quite surprised. A bunch of psychos attacking a school and slaughtering everyone inside? That was very surprising.

"Geez." Ratchet said.

"That is very sad." Clank said. "No survivors?"

"Well... except for one." CJ said, with him and Lincoln looking at Sonic.

"Aelita is the sole survivor of the attack." Sonic said. "Her friends were slaughtered in the incident."

"Oh my gosh." Ben said.

"Now that is even more sad." Clank said.

"The attack was actually not by terrorists." CJ said. "It was coordinated by the Dark Phoenix."

"So they attacked the school?" Jak asked. "Why?"

"Because they were searching for notes regarding Franz Hopper." Lincoln said.

"Franz Hopper?" Ben asked, even more surprised.

"You know about him, do you?" CJ asked.

"Sorta." Ben said. "He was someone that my grandfather told me about. He said that he infiltrated the organization Hopper was involved with and helped him out of there years ago."

"Hopper... he's also Aelita's father." Sonic said. Everyone, except for CJ and Lincoln were surprised.

"Really?" Ben asked.

"So she must be another reason why they attacked the school." Ratchet said. "They must've kidnapped her to get information on his work."

"And they slaughtered everyone who stood in their way." Clank said. "Now that is, how you humans say, graphic." Noticing Lincoln and CJ's far less surprised reactions, Sonic glanced at them.

"Did you guys know that Aelita was Hopper's daughter?" Sonic asked.

"Well, not until this morning." CJ said.

"I actually met her a couple months ago." Lincoln said. "She had a little run in with me at the Gas Station, and I saved her from getting mugged on the streets later that night. I recognized her when I saw a photo with her and Franz. We started making the connection."

"You ran into her?" Sonic asked surprised.

"Yeah." Lincoln said. "I saved her, and I helped her get out of the city. I just wished I could've done more though."

"It's alright..." Sonic said. "You saved her. Thanks." The blue hedgehog than glanced at the floor.

"Her friends were my friends too." he continued. "They helped me and Tails so much. But now they're gone. They were the only people Aelita considered family. I just didn't realize how easy it is to lose people." He couldn't help but shake his head. He then felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Ben, who knelt down to face him.

"I know what it's like to lose people too." Ben said. "We all have. But don't let that get to you. If there's one thing that I know, is that we have another reason to keep fighting. We'll show those Phoenix freaks what happens when they mess with friends and family, and we'll prove that our sacrifices will not be in vain." CJ gave a smile.

"He's right." He said. "We're all in this together."

"Yeah, we got your back." Lincoln said.

"Definitely." Ratchet said as Clank gave a nod.

"So, let me just get this straight." Daxter said. "We're gonna go up against actually people, with actually weapons, and an army of mutants monsters who wanna kill us?!"

"Yeah." Jak said. "Pretty much that." Daxter only gave a defeated sigh, but then he smiled.

"Well, you're all not gonna last long without me, so I'm in." Daxter said. The blue hedgehog glanced at seven, who were all willing to stand by him and help him take down the Dark Phoenix. He gave a smile.

"Thanks guys." Sonic said. "You're all the best."

"So... what now?" Lincoln asked.

"We turn in for the night." CJ said. "Tomorrow we got a big day ahead of us. So expect some training. We gotta be ready for anything that comes our way."

"Sounds good to me." Sonic said. "No doubt those Dark Phoenix guys and those Shadow monsters are probably gonna be amping up for what's going to come."

* * *

_**The Headquarters of the Dark Phoenix...**_

In the office that served as his most comfortable place to be alone, Wallace Breen was waiting for an update on Hydra Force. It has already been hours since he last spoken with Drex, and unfortunately, there was no word. He was sure hoping that it wasn't a good sign. He was actually hoping for everything to go so smoothly. He wasn't expecting Hydra Force to struggle with capturing the girl and that Shadow-Mutant hybrid. And with the Shadowkan that Drex managed to persuade to help them, it shouldn't have been too much trouble.

He was about out of his thoughts as one of the workers came into the room, feeling a bit nervous. Not only because he was a rookie, but from the look on his face, he was ready to give Breen some bad news.

"Um... sir?" The rookie asked.

"Yes, what is it?" Breen asked.

"We have some... startling news." The rookie spoke.

"And what would that be?" Breen asked. The man only stood there, completely nervous, and trying his best to find the words to say. "Please, tell me now."

"Just... don't shoot the messenger." The rookie said.

"I won't." Breen said. "Tell me what happened."

"Hydra Force was unable to capture Hopper's daughter and the family that was protecting her." The rookie said. "Drex has been gravely wounded and all of his men are... dead."

"What?" Breen asked. "Did. You. Just. Say?"

"Hydra Force is down, sir." The rookie said, more nervously. "Drex is alive but in critical condition, but the rest of Hydra Force have been eliminated. And most of the Shadowkan that were helping the squadron are also dead. Only General Voidus, Gorgon, and Lionizer are the only survivors, but their location is unknown." Wallace only sat in his seat, still not turning his head.

"So... you're saying a 36 year-old cat and some boy with Professor Moshimo's killing machine took out Hydra Force?" Breen asked.

"Well... not alone sir." The rookie said. "They had help... from others." Wallace turned his chair, and his head was staring directly at the man, with a raised, stern eyebrow.

"Others?" Wallace asked.

"We don't have much confirmation, but the SPD's Captain Japan and the Yeti helped them in taking out Drex and the rest of Hydra Squad. We also have evidence that the famous Ben Tennyson was also part of the-" The rookie said, only for Wallace to grab the coffee cup from his table and then threw it across the room, surprising the man giving the information. Breen then began to push his chair over and pulled the kilt off the table, but it didn't pull the silverware, plates, or the nice vase with the flowers in it. Within a couple of seconds, Wallace then just pushed everything off the table in his fit, and then pushed the table to its side. He then turned around and threw the vase across the floor. Yes, he was indeed angry, like Kylo Ren when he used his lightsaber to smash everything in his path when he would get bad news. A few moments have passed before Breen turned his head, not looking at the messenger, but showing that he was still listening.

"Anything else?" He asked, with the rookie feeling a bit more scared.

"They were four others as well..." He answered. "A man with a ravage orange rat on his shoulder, a furry animal with a robot on his back... and... and..."

"And?" Breen asked.

"They were also accompanied by a blue hedgehog-" The rookie said.

_-BOOM!-_

That was the sound of a pistol when Wallace Breen turned around and shot the rookie in the leg with a pistol he pulled out of hic coat, causing him to scream and fall to the floor. Dr. Breen approached him and continued to fire shots, up the man's legs, his arm and pelvis. As the poor man laid there, Breen picked him up and pulled him close to his face, which was very, very, angry.

"Did you say... Blue Hedgehog?!" He asked with a loud voice.

"Y...yes..." The rookie said in pain. "S...Sonic the Hedgehog... He was there to..."

"Congratulations." Breen said. "You've just been relieved of service." He aimed the gun at the rookie's head.

"NOOO!-"

_-BOOM!-_

* * *

_-CRASH!-_

The complete echos of trees breaking apart was from General Voidus, who may have survived his onslaught against Captain Japan, but lost all but two of his own crew. This was not a very good day for him. Not only was he defeated, again, by Captain Japan, but he was defeated by a man with an orange rat, a furry alien with a robot backpack, the infamous El Tigre, the famous Ben Tennyson, and the legendary blue hedgehog. He didn't expect that Captain Japan would bring that much help.

But he was more bitter about his defeat against the one who destroyed his master. Since Lord Destruction's defeat, General Voidus has been off the radar for quite sometime, that is until the Dark Phoenix managed to keep a close tab on him. He's never one for working for humans, but he was hoping that this was a sign that there was still a chance to destroy Captain Japan, but no. General Voidus got his butt kicked again, and now he was throwing a temper tantrum.

"How can this be?!" Voidus shouted as he kicked a nearby tree, causing it to fall over. "We were so close! So close of destroying Captain Japan!"

"Yo, relax!" Gorgon said. "Pull yourself together. So what, Captain Japan defeated us, but we'll get him next time. We just need to find more Shadowkan."

"Ummm... wait, I thought that was all we got left." Lionizer said.

"Don't tell him that!" Gorgon said.

"Well, I'm not the one who got thrown across the field by some tiger boy." Lionizer said.

"Well, what about you mister two blades?" Gorgon asked. "You got your dick sticks pixelated by some furry cat alien! I thought you were the professional here."

"Oh, will you two shut up!" Voidus shouted as he picked up part of the large bark from the tree and hurtled it towards Gorgon and Lionizer, who quickly ducked out of the way as the bark flew above them and into the bushes behind them.

"Oh boy, he's pissed." Lionizer said.

"Now Voidy, no need to get a pissy at us." Gorgon said. "It's not our fault Captain Japan and his Tiger Partner kicked your sorry ass-" Too late, for the General grabbed the winged shadowkan's wing, tugging hard and pulling him across the floor.

"Ow, Ow, Ow, Ow, Ow, Ow!" The winged Shadow-Kaijin said in pain. He then pushed him into the tree next to him while Lionizer watched from behind.

"I swear...!" Voidus hissed. "If I hadn't promised our Lord on his deathbed that I wouldn't kill you, I would kill you now!"

"Oh believe me, nobody appreciates that more than I do." Gorgon said. "So why not just get it over with already?"

"Shut up!" Voidus hissed. "Just shut up... I do not want to hear another word out of you while we're in the middle of nowhere. Do you understand me?" Gorgon didn't say anything, until Voidus began to shake him.

"Do You Understand The Words Coming Out of My Mouth?!" Voidus shouted.

"Well, how am I suppose to answer? You told me to shut my mouth up!" Gorgon answered, with the General beginning to raise his fist up, ready to punch him.

"Whoa, whoa, remember your mama!" Gorgon whimpered. Then the General turned around to punch Lionizer.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Lionizer shouted, but it was too late.

_-POW-_

A smack was met from Voidus's fist to Lionizer's face, causing the Shadowkan to fall backwards, rubbing his sore spot.

"Ow, you punched me." Lionizer said, caressing his own cheek.

"Oh, can this day get any worse?" Voidus asked himself, completely unaware of several soldiers with the Dark Phoenix sigil on their suits, emerging from the trees with weapons.

"General Voidus." a voice spoke, getting their attention. The three Shadowkan turned around to see the Dark Phoenix soldiers with their guns aimed at them, ready to shoot on command.

"Oh great, it just got worse." Voidus said.

"Well, we had a good run fellas." Gorgon said, with the General giving a cold glare at the winged mutant. "Sorry, shutting up."

"At ease, gentlemen." a voice spoke, with the soldiers lowering their weapons. The source of the voice began to emerge from behind them, showing a enigmatic soldier, dressed in a type of suit just like Captain Japan, or any other Kamen Rider, but his suit was completely red, with various wires on his arms, with a turquoise visor and chest component. He stepped forward between the soldiers and the Shadowkan.

"Sorry for the intrusion." The mysterious man said. "Hope we weren't interferring with anything." The General only squinted his eyes and he glanced at the armored warrior.

"And who... are you?" Voidus asked.

"Some call me by many names... though in this form I am known as Blood Stalk." The warrior said.

"Blood Stalk?" Voidus asked.

"Yes, but I am also known by many other names..." Blood Stalk said as he clicked the belt around his waist, causing it to flash in a bright light. but as the light cleared, it revealed a man, with his hair shaved down, and he wore combat gear.

"Hannibal Mago... Mark James Hollenback... or sometimes the Magician." The man said.

"And why are you here?" Voidus asked.

"We already worked with you guys, and you guys suuucked!" Gorgon spoke out.

"Yeah, what he said." Lionizer said.

"No need to worry." The man, Hannibal said. "I am just a friend of someone that you may have already met, and unlike him, I tend to show compassion to my comrades. I'm here to offer you guys a position at the Dark Phoenix."

"For what?" Voidus asked. "Experimentation?"

"No." Hannibal said. "We just want knowledge of your kind, and resources. And in return, we shall give you everything that was taken from you. After all, the Shadowkan Sorceress really wishes to see you again." The General then tilted his head. He knew who Hannibal was talking about. A Sorceress. What was she doing with them? The only way for him to find out... was to collaborate with them.

"Ok, you have my full cooperation." Voidus said, with the man giving a smile.

"Splendid..." Hannibal said.

* * *

**Well, this is the end of this chapter, and the next chapter is also almost in completion too, though I don't know when I'm gonna post it.**

**Like I said, the chapters will be at an unspecified schedule, especially since I don't know what's going to be going down for the next few weeks work-wise due to the Covid-19 situation. So far, while I was originally scheduled to work, but with business being a bit slowly due to all this happening, I've been given time off until all of this blows over, which I hope won't be too long.**

**I'm trying my best to stay positive during all this, yet it is a bit difficult with everything going on. But even if I can't go to work for a while, at least I have more time at home to continue writing... I just hope I can get new PC soon.**

**There's no telling how long all of this Covid-19 will last, maybe a while, but it will get better eventually. Until then, you guys stay healthy, stay home, and be sure to wash your hands right after you handle anything, including money.**


	20. Chapter 20: Shugyo

**Ok, we're here at the next chapter, which will focus on the morning with some nice breakfast and some training towards the end.**

**Sorry for the longer wait. New stuff and ideas (for future stories) kept rolling in my head, so progress has been a bit slow. But don't worry. I want to keep working on this story, and I will get it done whatever it takes.**

* * *

_**Chapter 20: Shugyo**_

_**The Next Morning**_

_**A few minutes before 7 AM**_

A whole night of peace and quiet... followed by a morning of peace and quiet. Wait... Peace and Quiet? That didn't feel right. Opening his eyes, Lincoln looked down to see that he wasn't in his bed, despite that he had Bon Bon in his arms. Turning his head, he found himself in a dark room, with a couple of bunk beds around in the room. There was some quiet breathing in the room, with a couple of snores here and there. Looking to his left, he saw Ben on the lower bonk bed, sleeping on his side and snuggling his pillow.

"Twilight..." he spoke as he nuzzled the pillow. Lincoln rose an eyebrow in confusion. But he then turned his attention to the other lower bunk, seeing Jak sleeping upwards, his hands behind his head. Daxter was on the top bunk, snoring a bit, and drooling on the sheets. Turning his head back at Ben's bunk, on the top was Sonic snoozing. He then looked forward and saw CJ, sleeping face upwards on the other side of the room.

That's right. He wasn't at home. He was at the SPD Forest Base. It was a bit quiet. He was a bit surprised that he actually got a whole nine hours of sleep. Back home with his heroing stuff and what not, he would get a bit less than that. Plus, at his house, every morning he would be hearing some commotion going on that would wake him up from his beauty sleep, like Lori talking to Bobby on the phone, Leni screaming when she would mess up her hair, Luna's guitar playing, even the twins yelling at each other. But he didn't now, because he wasn't at home. This would be great, but yet it felt weird. It felt really weird not to hear the sound of his sisters' voices. Perhaps he gotten so used to it that it made him feel sane.

But he was then taken out of his thoughts by a sound of movement. Looking at the bed across to his right, he saw a yellow figure sitting on the side of the bed, giving a bit of a stretch and waking up. It was Ratchet.

"Morning." Lincoln said, getting his attention.

"Oh, morning." Ratchet said. "Lincoln, right?"

"Yeah." Lincoln answered.

"What time is it?" Ratchet asked. Lincoln glanced at his phone, checking the clock.

"Only a couple minutes til seven." He said.

"You look like you've slept well." Ratchet said. "I'm surprised that you're up. From what I've heard, humans usually have trouble getting up in the morning."

"It's an advantage you get when you have twelve more people in the house." Lincoln said.

"Oh, yeah." Ratchet said. "You mentioned that you had ten sisters, right?" The boy smiled.

"Yeah." Lincoln said.

"What's it like?" Ratchet asked. "Having that many sisters?" Lincoln began to think about it. Everyone at his school always asked that question.

"It's... interesting." Lincoln said.

"Interesting?" Ratchet asked. "Does it get a little chaotic?"

"Oh, it gets really chaotic." Lincoln said. "There's been a lot of improvement in the past couple years, though it's pretty much the same. Lori's bossy, Leni's ditzy, Luna's musical, Luan's funny, Lynn's sporty, Lucy's emo, Lana's dirty, Lola's bratty, Lisa's smart, and Lily's Lily. My sisters may be a lot different than me, but they do love me, even if they have to meddle sometimes."

"How so?" Ratchet asked.

"This one time, I was having issues with a bully at school, and she was actually a girl." Lincoln said, referring to a certain tough mexican girl. "My sisters found out and offered to beat the bully up. Lynn actually ran out and go grab a pending bully. But when I told them it was a girl, they believed that she was only bullying me because she liked me a lot. They actually told me that I should just tell her I liked her too. I mean, I never had a girl who wasn't a sister who liked me. So I let them help me out."

"How did that turn out?" Ratchet asked.

"I got punched in the face and got a black eye as a result." Lincoln said.

"Ouch." Ratchet said.

"Yeah, I wasn't really happy either." Lincoln said. "But then I got a love letter and an ice pack from the bully and she gave me her number. So, my sisters were right on the spot. And surprisingly, she was my sister Lori's bodyfriend's little sister. What a coincidence, am I right?" Ratchet couldn't help but laugh with the boy at how something funny ended up getting bad, than really food afterwards.

"Sounds like you don't get much space, huh." Ratchet said.

"Actually, to be honest, it's kinda nice." Lincoln said. "My siblings would always have my back when I needed them. They would offer to help out, even if they do meddle. Sure we sometimes don't get along, but we never let each other down. That, and I learned a lot about girls, too." Hearing that made Ratchet chuckle.

"What about you?" Lincoln asked. "You got family back home?"

"Well, I do have a mentor named Grimm, and we worked in a garage together." Ratchet said. "But family like a father, mother, or sister, no, I don't have any of that."

"Oh." Lincoln said a bit surprised. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright." Ratchet said. "Grimm's pretty much family, and Clank's family too, since we both crashed landed on a planet. But... sometimes I wonder if there is anyone else like me out there."

"I think I can already tell." Lincoln said. The lombax glanced back at the boy.

"You're really lucky to have a big family, Lincoln." Ratchet said.

"Yeah, everyone tells me that." Lincoln said. "And they're right. I wouldn't trade them for the world." The boy then glanced back at his phone, and clicked on it, seeing the clock. It was now 7:00 AM.

"It's seven-o-clock now." Lincoln said. Then suddenly, there were trumpet sounds in the background. The lombax gave a smile.

"Yep, this is definitely a military compound." Ratchet said as he got up. Clank soon opened his eyes up, and shifted from his backpack form to robot form. It seems his internal clock has woken him up. As the trumpet continued in the background, a bunch of groans came from Daxter, and Ben, who was starting to get grouchy from the sudden wake up call. CJ was the first to lift himself up, stretching to get ready for the day.

"Alright boys, it's time to get up." CJ said as he got up from the bed.

"I'm already up." Lincoln said.

"Same here." Ratchet said. Jak did a stretch before lifting himself out of bed, not even bothered by the trumpet sounds. He turned his head to look at Daxter, who was groaning with irritation from the sound.

"Time to wake up Dax." Jak said. The orange ottsel slowly opened his eyes, but gave a grunt.

"Ok..." He said as he lifted himself up and got out of bed. Suddenly, his feet didn't touch the floor, and he tumbled onto the ground, most likely because he was on the top bunk. "Owie..." Jak couldn't help but chuckle, and then turned back to Ben's bunk.

"Hey, time to get up." He said.

"Just five more minutes." Ben said as he covered his head with the blanket. Jak rolled his eyes and lifted part of the mattress Ben was sleeping on. He lifted it up a bit, causing Ben to slide down and hit his face on the floor.

"Ow!" Ben shouted.

"You're welcome." Jak said with a grin. Sonic was the last to awaken, as he opened one eye. With it, he looked around before opening his other eye, realizing he wasn't at home... wherever that could be.

"Right... SPD." He said as he gave a stretch. Curling into a ball, he hopped off the bunk bed, and shook himself to get the sleep jitters out.

"So... what's our first mission?" He asked.

"Breakfast." CJ said.

"Sweet." Sonic said as Ben got up from the ground and stretched, getting the pain from the impact out of his body.

"Wasn't the first time I got thrown out of bed." Ben said.

* * *

_**In the other sleeping quarters...**_

A few minutes before the trumpet sound, the rest of the group, minus Skips, who's already up going for a jog, were inside the other sleeping quarters. Richard was face up on one bed, leaving behind some drool and he continued to sleep in and out. Mordecai and Rigby were sleeping in their own bunks, Mordecai on the bottom, Rigby on top. Darwin, who was given a nice bowl to sleep in, was sleeping soundly, much more happier since the bowl he was sleeping in was much bigger than the one he was sleeping in back at home, which was destroyed.

And Gumball and Aelita were actually snuggling. The girl was facing to the right, still asleep, while the blue cat was laying against her back, his right arm over her belly, and he was nuzzling a bit against her neck.

"Pssst... Aelita..." A voice whispered to her. The girl slowly moved her head, hearing the voice, but sleep still had it's hold on her.

"Aelita..." The voice said again. The girl slowly began to open her eyes. The blurriness was still there. Looking upwards a bit, she saw a light skinned girl with black hair, almost covering the right side of her face, while the left side was back a bit.

"Aelita... time to wake up." She said. The girl squinted her eyes a bit, thinking that she saw...

"Yumi?" The girl asked. Her vision finally cleared up, only to see Nicole looking down over her.

"No, sweetie, it's just me." Nicole said. The girl realized it. She wasn't back at her dorm... or at Kadic... or at the Wattersons. Everything that happened yesterday came back to her mind. Looking around, she realized she was at a new place, so everything that happened wasn't a dream.

"Oh, right." Aelita said.

"Did you sleep well?" The mama cat asked.

"Yes." Aelita said, lifting her head up a bit. "What's going on? And what time is it?"

"It's time to get up, honey." Nicole said. "We have a big day ahead of us."

"Ok..." The girl said as she began to lift herself up a bit, until suddenly, Gumball, still in his sleep, wrapped both arms around her upper chest, pulling her back a bit and snuggling against her.

"Um... Gumball?" The girl asked, as the cat continued to purr and nuzzle.

"Oh great." Nicole said, rolling her eyes. "Gumball, let Aelita go, ok? Gumball." She then tried to pull Gumball from Aelita, but he didn't let go. After a couple more attempts, the mama cat only sighed. No matter how many times she would try, her son wouldn't let go of Aelita. Probably because he was in protector mode or something. The girl then turned her head to glance at him.

"Gumball... can you let me go please?" She whispered into the cat's ear.

"Oookaaay..." He spoke sleepily, planting a kiss on the girl's cheek. And then, as if on command, Gumball released her and turned around, snuggling against the pillow he was sleeping on. Nicole was actually impressed Gumball listened to Aelita. Now if only he would listen to his own mom next time.

"Well, that's taken care of." Nicole said. "C'mon, let me help you up." The girl lifted herself up with her arms and her feet then met the floor. She had a little trouble getting up because of her round tummy, but the mama cat helped pull her up, allowing her to stand on her feet.

"Thank you." Aelita said.

"No problem." Nicole said. "Now you go wait outside while I wake the boys up."

"Do you want me to help you?" Aelita asked.

"Oh no, thank you, I'll take care of it." Nicole said. "Besides, you don't want to be in here when I wake the boys."

"Why's that?" Aelita asked.

"Because, let's just say I was... a different kind of person when I was working here at the SPD, and you really don't want to see me when that happens." Nicole said.

"You mean cat?" Aelita asked, pointing out that Nicole was actually a cat, not a person.

"Technically speaking, yes." Nicole said. "But trust me, you don't want to see this."

"Is it like how you took out that monster?" Aelita asked.

"No, nothing like that... well, except the shouting part." Nicole said. "Now you go wait outside, ok?"

"Ok." Aelita said as she made her way out of the room, which closed behind her, leaving Nicole to turn around and see the boys, and of course Richard, sleeping on the beds. She let out a sigh, and flicked on the lights. She then cleared her voice.

"ATTENTION!" Nicole shouted roll-call style. She pulled out a whistle and blew.

_-FEEEEEEEEEEEEE!-_

The sudden loud whistle made Gumball, Darwin, and Richard open up their eyes. The blue cat and fish with legs suddenly let out a shout of surprise, and Richard quickly tumbled over the bed, giving a funny shout before he hit the floor. Then the three boys quickly got up and lined up, standing together in unison.

"We're up, we're up, we're up, we're up!" All three of the said, though they started to feel a bit tired again. She then approached the right side where Mordecai and Rigby were sleeping.

"WAKE UUUUPPP!" Nicole screamed, with Rigby benig the first.

"AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" The raccoon screamed as he opened his eyes from the sudden shout, which scared the living hell out of him.

"UUUUUGGGH!" Mordecai shouted in annoyance, hearing Rigby screaming waking him up. He lifted himself up and noticed Nicole staring at him with a serious look. He yelped and covered himself with his sheet.

"What the hell, Mrs. W?!" Mordecai asked.

"GET UP!" She shouted, with the blue jay giving another yelp.

"Ok, ok, ok, we're getting up!" He said as he got out and lined up with the others, with Rigby still screaming by his side. Thankfully the blue jay closed the raccoon's snout to stop him from screaming.

"Alright, everybody accounted for?!" Nicole asked as she marched towards the boys, with Gumball looking at her with a bit of confusion.

"Mom, what's going on?" Gumball asked, before lettnig out a yawn.

"It's morning time and we got a big day ahead of us!" Nicole said, but then she looked at Mordecai and Rigby's left, seeing that someone wasn't awake. The mama cat scanned the end of the room, seeing a bed with sheets covered over someone. Nicole marched towards the bed and blew the whistle once more.

_-FEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!-_

She blew a couple of times, making the figure lift himself from the bed, revealing a certain blonde boy, drowsingly opening his eyes. He glanced at Nicole with a confused look.

"What are you doing?" Tommy asked.

"You're burning daylight!" Nicole said. "Now get up!"

"But it's Summer..." Tommy said, before glancing at his watch, seeing that it was 7:01AM.

"And It's seven in the morning?!" Tommy asked. "What is this, school?!"

"No, it's the Space Police Delta!" Nicole said. "Now get out of that bed!"

"Make me, you crazy bitch..." Tommy said as he laid back down on the bed, muttering a two word. Gumball and Richard's ears perked up in fear, while Darwin gasped.

"Uh oh..." Mordecai said, showing that he and Rigby also heard what Tommy had said, and no doubt Nicole did too. The mama cat marched to the side of the bed, and lifted the whole mattress up, toppling a yelping Tommy off and onto the ground.

"Ow..." He said.

"Watch the language." Nicole said as she dropped the mattress back down and made her way towards the door. "Alright, time for breakfast, let's move!" Gumball, Darwin, and Richard watched with a bit of confusion, while Tommy got up and rubbed his sore head.

"What's her deal?" Tommy asked.

"Oh, she's just getting back into her old military routine." Richard said.

"Huh?" The boys asked.

"I'll explain later." Richard said as he and the boys left the room, with Tommy taking his backpack, which contained Robotboy inside. The door opened and Nicole marched out, as Aelita took a peek to see Gumball and the others coming out a little drowsy.

"Are you all ok?" She asked.

"Yeah..." Gumball said as he rubbed his eyes. "Mom woke us up..."

"Wow, she sure was loud." Carrie's voice spoke from behind the blue cat, making him yelp and hug Aelita tightly.

"Oh, it's just you." Gumball said. "Where have you been?"

"I sometimes seep deep into the ground whenever I sleep." Carrie said. "It's actually more comfy."

"Well, can you please not sneak up behind me like that?" Gumball asked. "It's so annoying."

"You know I can't promise that." Carrie said. "Seeing you squeal brings me a bit of joy." She then flew past them. The pink haired girl glanced back at Gumball.

"Um... Gumball, you can let me go now." Aelita said. The blue cat realized that he was still hugging the girl. He released her.

"Sorry." He said with a nervous smile. "Anyway, let's go get something eat. I'm starving after yesterday." The blue cat and rest made their way down the hall. Just as Gumball and Darwin headed down, Aelita turned her head, and noticed a certain two-tailed fox sitting on the floor, his back against the wall, and his head hung low. From his expression, he's deeply sad. Wondering what was wrong, the girl approached him.

"Hi Tails." She said. The two tailed fox glanced up to look at her.

"Oh, hey..." Tails said.

"Are you ok?" Aelita asked.

"I didn't sleep well last night." Tails said. "Sonic told me what happened..."

"Oh..." The girl responded, knowing what he was referring to. She sat down next to him.

"I'm sorry for what happened to the others." Tails said.

"It's ok." Aelita said. "I miss them very much too." Suddenly, the two tailed fox gave her an warm embrace, trying his best not to weep. The girl stroked his fur, giving him comfort.

"How could this happen?" Tails asked. "Why did it have to be them? They didn't hurt anybody."

"I asked myself that question over and over too." The girl said, showing a sad face as well.

"How do you deal with it?" Tails asked. The girl began to think on that. Truth be told, she didn't have an answer for that. The images of her friends being slaughtered still lingered in her mind, and were not going to go away.

"I still dealing with it." She said as she gave the fox a warm nuzzle. As the two departed, he gave a deep sigh.

"They're serving breakfast." Aelita said. "Maybe that will cheer you up."

"I dunno." Tails said. "I'm not feeling hungry right now." That was surprising. He would usually be hungry. But the news of Jeremie and the others passing away was making him less motivated.

"Well, you should at least eat something." Aelita said as she helped him up. "They wouldn't want you to starve yourself."

"Ok." Tails said. "But I don't think that-" Suddenly, a speaker began to ran the room.

"All Personal Report to the Mess Hall!" The speaker said. "Today's special... Waffles!" Tails' ears perked up hearing that.

"Waffles?!" Tails asked, a sudden smile formed on his face, all trace of sadness was washed away from his body. "They're serving waffles?! Yahoo!" Spinning his tails with excitement, he flew off down the hall, surprising Aelita. He leaned back to look at her.

"C'mon, Aelita!" Tails said. "Let's Go Eat!" He flew down towards the mess hall. The girl couldn't help but smile. Seeing Tails' spirits lift up brought some joy to her. It was sad that Jeremie and the others were gone. But she too knew that they wouldn't want her to feel miserable. She had to keep her chin up high, no matter what.

Sudden, she felt a growl in her stomach, and a little teeny kick. Looking down at her tummy, she rubbed it's round surface.

"You feeling hungry, don't ya?" Aelita asked, talking to the unborn child within her. She felt a kick, making her smile.

"Me too." She said as she followed Tails down to the mess hall.

* * *

For those who aren't in the military and plan on joining, keep in mind that during basic training, they wake up early in the morning, about 4:30 AM at the least. Good news for the SPD, they usually wake up during either 6:00 AM or 7:00 AM, and here it is the latter. Luckily for Sonic, Jak, Lincoln and Clank, they had experience waking up that early in the morning. For Sonic, he likes to get up in the morning and jog, while Jak likes to do some workout early in the day, Lincoln has his sisters and their antics wake him up, and Clank, well, he's a robot. Ben, however, doesn't like waking up early during the summer, Daxter would rather sleep in, and as for Ratchet, well, not sure about him. But he was lucky to get up early at all because of the timezone.

Good news was that they were going to get some breakfast, the most important meal of the day. Our heroes can't begin training or go on a mission on an empty stomach. Of course, the only question is, what is there to eat. As they entered the cafeteria, they saw some of the SPD soldiers inside chatting and eating. As they saw what they had, they had the usual _MRE_, which is short for _Meals Ready-To-Eat _in Army Slang. Which usually consists of Entree such as spaghetti and beef, side dishes of rice, corn, fruit, mashed potatoes, some cracker or bread, peanut butter, jelly or cheese spread, you know, the usual things those would eat.

Of course in the morning, here at the SPD, they serve waffles, whic are actually pretty good. The sight of the waffles on his plate surprised Ratchet. He has never seen anything like this.

"Uhhh... what is this?" Ratchet asked.

"Waffles." Jak said.

"Grain Waffles." Sonic said. "Not much but I'll take it." The three looked over the table and saw loads of waffles in the back. Ben couldn't help but snicker.

"Evil beware..." Lincoln spoke, imitating Raven from Teen Titans. "We have waffles..." That reference made the group chuckle, except for Ratchet and Clank, who weren't familiar with it.

"Do villains here on Earth hate waffles?" Clank asked.

"No, it's just a joke." Daxter said.

"How do you make them?" Ratchet asked.

"It's just leavened batter or dough you cook between two plates and such." Sonic said "Made all the way in France and Belgium." Ratchet only nodded, and then his eyes were met at a strange red colored round shaped piece of food with a small twig on top sticking out of it. He picked it up and examined it.

"What's this?" Ratchet asked.

"An apple." Sonic spoke. "It's fruit."

"Fruit?" Ratchet asked.

"Just Eat it." Sonic said. The lombax looked at the fruit, and with a wide mouth, he took a bite out of the apple. His eyes opened wide, as the taste was delight. A little crunchy and soft at the same time. Sour and bitter, but very sweet and juicy.

"Wow, this is good." Ratchet said.

"They come from trees." Sonic said.

"From Apple trees." Ben said. "They're also used to make cider."

"And how do you know that?" CJ asked.

"I know a friend who's friends with a farmgirl, and her entire family plant apple trees manually." Ben said, taking a bite from his waffles. "They know how to make good quality apple food."

"Don't eat with your mouth full, please." CJ said. Sonic couldn't help but chuckle.

"Still the same Ben Tennyson that I remember." He said.

"And you're still the same Sonic I remember." Ben said. Sonic only smiled.

"Yeah, but I wouldn't say I'm completely the same." Sonic said.

"Let me guess, the Black Arms invasion did a change in you?" Ben said. Sonic only looked at his plate for a minute, before turning his head back, seeing Sally and Alyx chatting.

"No, but it did change some people around me." He said, his eyes were focused on Sally, who was oblivious to the blue blur looking at her. While the fight with the Black Arms hardly changed him, it did affect Sally greatly. The memory of her on the floor with his wrists sliced up after her breakdown lingered a bit in his mind, and that horrific scene. While he had seen scary things, but seeing her broken like that, that was probably the most terrifying thing he had seen. And it did terrify him.

"Hey guys!" A chirpy voice said, drawing the blue hedgehog from his thoughts. He turned to see Gumball, Darwin, and Aelita. Seeing the blue cat's happy face gave Sonic peace of mind, allowing him to smile.

"Oh, hey Gumball." Sonic said. "Heard your mom woke you guys up before we did."

"Yeah, we're still a bit tired from it." Darwin said, giving a little yawn.

"Can we sit here for a while?" Gumball asked.

"Sure, I don't see why not." Sonic said, seeing that the table they were all at had seats available.

"Great!" Gumball said as he sat closely to the blue blur, and Darwin on the other side. As Darwin sat down, he then noticed Daxter staring at him with a bit of confusion.

"Uhhh... are you suppose to be a fish or something?" Daxter asked.

"Why yes." Darwin said. "What are you suppose to be?"

"An Ottsel." Daxter said. "But I'm also a Precursor."

"What's that?" Darwin asked.

"They're the most powerful beings in the universe." Daxter whispered.

"So does that mean you have magical powers?" Darwin asked. The ottsel was about to speak, but then he remembered that he didn't.

"No, but I used to be human." Daxter said. "Until _somebody_ pushed me into a pool of Dark Eco years ago."

"I heard that." Jak said.

"Well, it's true." Daxter said.

"You used to be human?" Darwin asked. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"Nah, it's actually ok." Daxter said. "Because the ladies love the Orange Lightning." The fish was a bit confused when the ottsel referred himself as Orange Lightning, but he shrugged it off as he ate a bite of his waffles.

"So, what's been going on Sonic?" Gumball asked. "Have you been on any adventures recently?"

"Yeah, a lot of adventures." Sonic said. "I just got back from New York City."

"New York City?" Gumball and Darwin asked.

"No way!" Gumball said. "Did you meet those four guys who mess with each other on TV?"

"No, I was helping a friend with some stuff." Sonic said. "He and I were caught in a pickle and I got pulled into his fight with some guys who were trying to kill him, so I helped him take them down."

"What kind of a pickle?" Darwin asked.

"It involved us getting tied up and almost executed." Sonic said. The two boys gasped.

"Please, tell us!" Gumball said.

"Tell us the story!" Darwin said. The two teens gave sparkle eyes, wanting to hear the tale. At first, he didn't want to because of the order for the Magical Realm, but these two were friends with a giant, and they know the giant's mother is a witch, so perhaps it wouldn't hurt. The blue hedgehog couldn't help but smile.

"Alright, I'll tell you." Sonic said. "Only if you promise to keep it a secret."

"We promise!" The two boys said with a salute. The blue hedgehog gave a chuckle as he laid back a bit and began telling the story.

"Alright, story time." Sonic said as he tossed his apple into the air like a baseball. "It all started a long while ago, while I was minding my own business in New York City. Just chillin', and relaxing, until I hear some commotion coming from above the rooftops. I see a red fire breathing dragon fighting this young huntress. These two actually had history, but I won't go into detail about that. So, I helped the dragon escape the huntress, only for her master and his Huntsclan forces to capture us. They imprisoned me and dragon boy along side other magical creatures, and they prepared to slaughter us, but the red dragon, used his smooth talking skills to distract the huntress while I got the key. We escaped, but the Hunters followed to capture us, but me and the dragon boy trained the magical creatures to fight, helping them overcome their fears, and using their luck against the enemy. We won the battle, the Huntsclan retreated, and the Huntsman got his butt torched by the boy dragon. And ever since then, I've been helping the dragon tackle the Huntsclan ever since, stopping them from retrieving the magical Skulls that would allow them to wipe out the magical realm, and half of the human race. It all led to a climatic battle to end them once and for all, where the huntress, who defected to our side, betrayed her master and helped us defeat him. It was tough, it was rough, he was stronger than us, but we had help from unlikely heroes who joined the battle. In the end, we triumphed, and the Huntsman was no more. His army collapsed, and the magical realm was safe and sound."

"Ooooooooo..." Gumball and Darwin said in unison. "Cool..."

"Yeah, too cool." Sonic said as he drank his drink.

"If you guys are wondering, I was the unlikely hero who saved him from getting killed." CJ said to the boys, with Sonic almost choking on his drink.

"Dude, don't ruin the moment." Sonic said.

"Well, you didn't mention me." CJ said.

"Wow..." Aelita said, a bit amazed. "You must've been busy."

"Yeah, I was." Sonic said.

"So you're friends with a dragon?" Lincoln asked astonished. "That is so cool."

"Yeah, totally." Ratchet said. "But I need to ask, what's a dragon?"

"Fire breathing creature with wings." Lincoln added. Ben, Jak, and Daxter were actually showing faces of surprise at the hedgehog.

"Wait, wait, you went up against the Huntsclan?" Ben asked.

"The dragon slayers?" Daxter asked.

"Yeah." Sonic said.

"Since when did you get involved in the fight between the dragons and slayers?" Jak asked.

"I told you, they kidnapped me so I decided to take them down." Sonic said. "Plus, my dad had a run in with them a long, long time ago-" The blue hedgehog stopped himself for a minute, a bit surprised that Ben, Jak, and Daxter know about the Huntsclan. How did they know?

"Wait, how do you guys know about the Huntsclan?" He asked.

"We dealt with them a few times back in the Wasteland." Jak said.

"And they were shooting green energy bullets from their sticks." Daxter said. "I almost got my ears burnt off from all that."

"Gwen's magical herself." Ben said. "We had a little detour in the Magical Realm to learn more about her magical heritage, and learned a lot about it. Plus, the Forever Knights used to be friends with the Huntsclan."

"Huntsclan?" Tommy asked, with everyone realizing that he was listening in on the conversation and the story. "You're talking about those dragon killing psychos?"

"Yeah, and this guy took them out." Ratchet said.

"Wicked." Tommy said.

"Wow." Sonic said amazed, surprised that Tommy was aware of all this too. "Everybody just knows everything."

"Knows what?" The group turned to see Mordecai and Rigby approaching the table.

"Sonic had a run in with some dragon slayers." Ben said.

"Dude, I said to keep it a secret." Sonic said.

"You told them to keep it a secret, not me." Ben said, with the blue hedgehog rolling his eyes.

"You took down dragon murderers?" Rigby asked as he and Mordecai leaned in with the group. "Sweeeeet...!"

"So, how did you get aquainted with Sonic the Hedgehog?" Mordecai asked Ben.

"It's a long story." Ben said. "It happened a few years ago. Dr. Animo was working with, what was his name again? Robuttnik?"

"Eggman, but yes." Sonic said.

"Right." Ben said as he continued the story. "Animo and Eggman were turning animals into robots. Animo supplied Eggman the animals, and the latter turned them into robots. I ran into Sonic, and I saved him from drowning in a lake."

"Correction." Sonic said. "I saved him first when the giant robot squirrels had him stuck in one of the tree holes."

"But I still saved you from drowning." Ben said.

"I could've gotten out of there." Sonic said in defense.

"No, you wouldn't have had." Ben said. "But you did manage to blow up Animo's giant Gorilla Armor, so I'll give you credit for that."

"Yeah, I sure did." Sonic said. "And I saved you again after your watch powered down and you were dropping high in the sky." Ben only rolled his eyes too.

"And that is why you're the X-treme." Ben said, crossing his arms forming an X.

"No I'm not." Sonic said.

"You battled a giant robot Gorilla?" Lincoln asked.

"Actually it was a psycho animal controller wearing a Gorilla Mech, but yes." Sonic said.

"Really?" Gumball asked. "You fought a lunatic wearing a Gorilla Mech?"

"Please tell us!" Darwin said. Sonic only gave a smile, and glanced at Ben.

"Ok, you're turn." Sonic said, with Ben giving a nod.

"Ok, it all happened like a few years ago." Ben began with the story. "Me, my cousin Gwen, and my Grandpa traveled the world during the summer, and wewere dealing with Dr. Animo, a scientist who can control animals. He was actually working with Dr. Ivo Robotnik to build an army of robot animals. I ran into Sonic in the forest, and I saved him from drowning in the lake nearby. After hearing about his battle with the mustached man, we agreed to help him. We managed to follow Animo back to Eggman's old Flying Battery Battleship. Me and Sonic were making our way through the base while the crazy round guy try to vaporize us with his lazer ceiling machine. The whole fortress was beginning to break apart because of that, so we quickly made our way all the way to the top. Then, Dr. Animo jumped down to smash us with his Gorilla Mech, but I went Fourarms and managed to bash him to the ground, while Sonic ripped Eggman's flying Hawk to pieces. We escaped the Flying Battery just as it was crashing down into the desert below us."

"And I saved his life." Sonic finished.

"Wow!" Gumball and Darwin said in unison. "So cool."

"And Tails managed to steal a kiss from Gwen." Sonic said, still chuckling remembering that moment. It was only a few years ago, but it was still funny to this day.

"But more importantly, that is how Sonic became the X-treme." Ben said.

"Oh, so that's where that name X-Treme came from." Ratchet said, knowing the name as well.

"The X-treme." Jak and Daxter said playfully.

"Guys, don't, you're embarrassing me." Sonic said.

"If you don't mind me asking." Aelita said to Ben. "Why do you call Sonic the... X-treme?"

"Because, there's a good reason for that." Ben said. "Sonic... _is_ the X-treme."

"Ooooooo..." Gumball and Darwin said in unison.

"Wait, what does that mean?" the latter asked.

"In short, Sonic's the most craziest son of a bitch in the whole planet." Jak said.

"Nah, I came in second." Sonic said.

"Yeah, right." Ratchet said. "I've seen the blue blur in full profile. You guys should've seen him helping us in Grelbin."

"Grelbin?" Gumball and Darwin asked.

"It's one of the planets me and Clank visited." Ratchet said.

"Oh yes, I do remember that." Clank said. "It is actually one of the coldest planets in the Bogon Galaxy. We should tell them about it."

"No, don't tell them about that one." Sonic said, though nobody could hear him.

"You guys are talking about our time on Greblin?" Tails asked as he popped in. "Tell the story! It's the best!" With everyone wanting to hear the story, Sonic could only shake his head as Ratchet started to tell them that story.

"So we were on Grelbin to find a way to get to our friend's home there, and we had to collect moonstones to do so." Ratchet began with the story.

"Moonstones?" Darwin asked. "Are those stones found from the moon?"

"No, actually." Clank said. "They are rare rock crystals found in the Tundor Wastes, and they are worth a lot of bolts."

"Bolts?" Gumball asked.

"Yeah, in our galaxy, bolts are used for currancy." Ratchet said. Gumball and Darwin hung their mouths open wide.

"Wow..." They both said.

"So, what happened on this Grelbin?" Aelita asked.

"Trust me, you don't want to know." Sonic said, not wanting anyone to know that story.

"But we wanna know." Gumball said.

"Me too!" Darwin said.

"I want to know." Lincoln said, leaning in to listen. Sonic only sighed as Ratchet continued the story.

"Well, me, Clank, Sonic, and Tails were searching for Moonstones to give to the Mystic Guru so we can get these '_Forces'_ to move a massive rock out of the way, but the whole Wastes was full of YETIs that popped out of the ground and scare you." Ratchet said.

"And let us not forget the Arctic Leviathans." Clank said, remembering the snake-like monsters that burst from frozen patches of the water below.

"Oh yeah, those too." Ratchet said. "So a huge pack of YETIs start chasing us after we found a moonstone just north of the campsite and we were just running and running. We ran out of ammo because they kept coming out of the ground. Tails informed us that we were on a huge lake covered with snow, so Sonic here used his cool spinning ability to saw through the ground and caused the area to break off a bit, making the YETIs fall right into the water and freeze solid. Then out of nowhere, an Arctic Leviathan shows up and gobbles Sonic up, only for the blue devil to spin dash and slice through the Leviathan's neck, killing it. He came out alive, holding a Moonstone, unharmed."

"Really?" Lincoln asked as he looked at the blue hedgehog. "You killed a serpent alien from inside it?" Sonic looked away a bit embarrassed and sighed.

"Yes, yes I did." Sonic said. Lincoln was a bit shocked. He has heard legends of the blue hedgehog defeating monsters and enemies and such, but he had no idea the blue blur sliced up a monster from the inside.

"Awesome..." Gumball and Darwin said, while Aelita was a bit surprised. Sonic, however, didn't feel too proud of that, since he had to kill the monster that nearly ate him.

"Oh, oh, oh!" Daxter said. "Let's tell them about our adventures with Sonic in the Wasteland."

"Guys, no, please." Sonic said, his hand on his forehead, giving a nervous shake.

"Oh, tell us about the rabbits george." Ben joked.

"Rabbits?" Ratchet asked.

"It's from the book Of Mice and Men." Ben said.

"Huh?" Ratchet asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'll explain later." Ben said. "Anyway, please tell us."

"No, don't tell him." Sonic said anxiously.

"Well, you're the storyteller Dax." Jak said with a nod, ignoring Sonic's pleas, with Daxter giving a bright smile.

"Alright, it goes like this." Daxter said as Sonic sighed in defeat. "It all happened several months ago. Me and Jak were traveling with Sonic during our time in the Wasteland, just minding our own business and looking for lost artifacts. Suddenly, not one, not three, but two Metal Head Beasts, almost the size of a city wall door came out of nowhere, and while Jak was driving the Gila Stomper and Sonic eating a chili-dog he brought along, I was in the back shooting at the Metal Beasts."

"No you weren't, Dax." Sonic said. "You were screaming in agony."

"And you were butt-naked." Jak said, pointing at the hedgehog.

"No, I wasn't!" Sonic said. "I was not naked!"

"Yeah you were." Daxter said. "So, anyway, we kept trying everything, but we're getting nowhere with these beasts. Then, a pair MetalBats started circling under us, causing the wind to blow, and it blew the chili-dog right out of Sonic's hand, causing it to fly up in the air. But then, the mighty Blue Blur jumps out of the vehicle, rushes his way to get his delicious chili-dog, But before all that, he rushed towards one of the beasts and hopped on it's back. He tangled with one of the Metal Heads on top of it and stabbed it with it's own lance. He then pushed the cannon on the back of the beast and aimed it at the other one, blasting it's head, blasting it right off! He then stabbed the beast he was just on in the head, making it pop out it's skull gem from it's socket. He then jumped up as the beasts fell, started spin-dashing into the MetalBats, bashing their skullgems right out of their sockets, and managed to grab his lunch without it ever dropping to the ground. He made a perfect landing and took a bite of his chili-dog, while the corpses of the Metal Heads laid behind him."

"And that was one of the many stories of Sonic the Hedgehog." Daxter concluded.

"Whooooaaaa..." Gumball and Darwin said as they glanced back at Sonic, who was shaking his head and giving a blush.

"Really?" Tommy asked. "Didn't know you had a dark side."

"I don't." Sonic said.

"You took down those monsters because they blew away your lunch?" Aelita asked.

"Yes, he did." Daxter said.

"No, that was not true." Sonic said. "Aelita, boys, this is all a web of lies." Everyone was looking at him, knowing that what he just said wasn't true.

"Seriously?" Jak asked.

"Okay, okay, most of that is true, actually it was all true." Sonic said. "But I was not in my right mind back then. I was young and stupid."

"This happened months ago." Ratchet said. He was right, Sonic knew this was a losing battle for him.

"Ok, strong point." Sonic admitted. "But that's not me now. During those times I was a different Sonic, a brasher, twisted Sonic. But I killed him." CJ turned his head towards the blue hedgehog.

"No you didn't." He said.

"Yes, I did." Sonic said.

"Well if you weren't that Sonic, then you wouldn't have had thrown that gernade at the Huntsman." CJ said.

"And let's not forget how you blew that creepy guy with the metal arm yesterday." Lincoln said. Hearing that made Sonic lower his head on the table.

"Ok, maybe I am still a bit crazy." Sonic said, admitting it, while Ben, Ratchet, Clank, Jak, and Daxter laughed, but applauded.

"Hey Kids!" Richard called out, with the blue cat and the fish with legs turning to see their father at the food stand. "They're serving seconds!"

"Awesome!" Gumball and Darwin cheered as they got up.

"Yes!" Mordecai and Rigby said as they rushed towards the food stand, while pulling Tommy along with them.

"C'mon Aelita, let's get some more food!" The blue cat said as he took Aelita's hand and the two went to follow Darwin, Mordecai, and Rigby.

"They're serving seconds?" Tails asked as he got up. "Wait for me!" As the two tailed fox flew after them, Sonic lifted his head up from the table.

"Why did you guys tell them those stories?" Sonic asked.

"Because they're the best!" Daxter said.

"But you guys made me sound like a psychopath." Sonic said.

"Dude, they were just monsters." Jak said. "You weren't killing real people."

"Yeah, dude." Ratchet said. "Just lighten up. We all know you're not a complete lunatic."

"I would prefer the word, sociopath, actually." Clank said.

"Yeah, well I'm suppose to be a positive influence." Sonic said. "I'm suppose to be a symbol of hope. But the only recent thing I've done was shoot that Drex creep with the Peace Maker and made him get torched by his truck explosion."

"And the Huntsman, you took him down too, right?" Ben asked.

"Well I didn't take him down..." Sonic said. "I blew him up after swatting his own energy staff back at him."

"Still wicked." Ben said with a smile.

"How is that wicked?" Sonic asked.

"Well most of his body were gears and cybernetics." CJ said.

"That doesn't matter." Sonic said.

"Well, was he giving up?" Ben asked.

"No, he wasn't giving up." Sonic said. "He even shouted in my face before I beat him down that he wasn't gonna stop until he destroys everything in his path."

"Then you did the necessary thing." Jak said. "He didn't want to stop, so you put him down."

"Yeah, and that Drex guy wasn't gonna stop until he killed you, so you kicked him to the curve." Ratchet said.

"I think we all had a good part to play in that." Lincoln said.

"That doesn't make me feel any better." Sonic said, glancing at his food. "Sure what I did was necessary, but it didn't make it the right thing... morally to speak."

"Hey, don't be so ideal." CJ said. "Taking a life is never easy for all of us, but under circumstances, there's no other way. Sometimes people, bad people usually, do need to die for things to change."

"Yeah, I suppose your right." Sonic said.

"But don't worry, it's not like you don't have a choice in the matter." Ben said. "But even heroes have to make tough choices."

"That too." Sonic said. They were right on the spot. What Sonic did was necessary. If he hadn't blown Drex and or the Huntsman to smitherines, they would've killed him and all of them. Sonic saved two worlds, and all of his friends doing so. And now those baddies aren't gonna hurt anyone ever again.

Getting out of his thoughts, Sonic took a look around the room, seeing everyone eating. But someone was absent in the room. A certain mama cat was actually leaving the mess hall.

"Where's Mrs. W going?" The blue blur thought. It was probably not important.

* * *

Making her way towards the side of the hall, Nicole went into her quarters to get ready for the big day. To be honest, this felt more weirder than ever before. Fourteen years it has been since she left the SPD to live a normal life with her family, and more importantly, to be a mother to her children. She never thought that she would have to get back into her old life as the SPD's top agent.

A little known fact is that when Nicole was fifteen, her parents had shipped her to a boarding school after she and Richard accidently crashed their car while they were on a date. Actually, they stole the car. To punish her and prevent her from seeing Richard again, her parents had her shipped to a board school so she could get a higher education to succeed, only to be thrown in the middle of a battle between the SPD and a giant Kaijin that killed everyone on the bus, except for her.

When they found her, she was recruited into the SPD, and within almost a couple years, she became the best leading lieutenent of the SPD's A-Squad, the organization's top expert Kaijin Hunters. It seems that all those years of taking so many extracurricular activities growing up actually paid off. Even after being married to Richard and carrying Gumball in her tummy, she still worked with them. But after losing most of her close friends, getting scratched and almost losing her little boy, she called it quits so she could be a mother to her son, and her daughter... well, now she doesn't have a daughter anymore since Anais betrayed them and left them for dead.

Even after all that, she was still glad that the SPD were able to answer her distress call, and that she kept what was left of her old life back at the house... which was all gone now, except for the equipment she brought with her. And now that she and her family was here, she knew what she had to do. She had to get back into the game and fight. She'll do whatever it takes to protect her family, her husband, her sons, and Aelita, the girl who saved her son in his most desparate time of need. She'll do anything to protect her too, the girl she's willing to accept as her daughter.

The mama cat reached into her bag and lifted out a combat suit, the same one she wore in her days of the SPD. The suit was white with the front part, the under part of her arms and the inner part of her legs were black. A red letter A was on the front, and a bet was wrapped around her waist, with pistol slots in the back. Think of it like a combination of Black Widow's suit and Kim Possible's battle suit.

She placed it on. Nicole was quite impressed that the suit still fit after fourteen years. Well, she had trouble to get the back zipped up, which was the hardest to do. She tried glancing at the mirror to get a better angle to see the zipper, but for a moment, she looked down at her own hips and backside. Her hand slid from her but to the side of her hip. While her legs were skinny like Gumball's, her hips were a bit bigger than his, and so was her buttocks. Of course, she did have two children. She let out a sigh.

"God, I look big." She said, unaware of the door opening.

"Oh, hi honey." Richard said, making the mama cat yelp in surprise.

"Richard!" Nicole said, with the rabbit realizing that she was changing.

"Oh, sorry!" Richard said as he covered his eyes and tried to walk out, only to hit his head on the side of the doorway and fell flat on his back. "Ow."

"Richard, are you ok?" Nicole asked.

"Yeah, I'm good." Richard said with a smile, showing no injury whatsoever. Perhaps his chubby features make it impossible for him to bruise up. Nicole couldn't help but chuckle as she helped her husband back on his feet. Taking the moment, Richard gasped with awe as he saw his wife in her combat suit.

"Whoa..." Richard said. "Look at you... so fiesty!" Nicole couldn't help but smile at Richard's flirting.

"Thanks honey." Nicole said. "Though I got a little problem in the back."

"Oh, I'll help you." Richard said as the mama cat turned around, showing her exposed back. The rabbit zipped up the zipper on the back, covering Nicole's back and completely zipped up the suit for her.

"Thanks, Richard." Nicole said, before examining herself in the mirror, and her hands were on her hips and buttom. "But I can't help but think that I've grown in the wrong places."

"Oh, don't think that honey." Richard said. "I think you look great. And come to think of it, your build gives you a more dominant, sexy look." Feeling Richard's hand playfully pat her butt made Nicole blush and smile even more. Most women don't usually like that, but the mama cat did.

"Oh, Richard, stop." She said as she pinched Richard's cheek playfully, making the big rabbit chuckle. However, the mama cat couldn't help but look down at the ground, showing a face of guilt.

"What's wrong?" Richard asked, taking notice.

"I'm sorry I have to get back in the game, honey." Nicole said. "I promised myself that I wouldn't go through this again, but with everything that's happened..." She couldn't help but sigh.

"Awww, it's only been fourteen years, honey." Richard said.

"I know, but I wasn't expecting things to get to where they are now." Nicole said. "I mean, I did a little bit, but just not this soon."

"Don't worry, Nicole." Richard said. "Besides, I know you do it for us, and I know you're capable of taking care of yourself." Nicole looked at her husband. A reassured smile formed on her face. Despite Richard's lack of responsibility, common sense, and of course his childlike behavior and uncouth mannerism, he is just so understanding, loyal, and is always willing to cheer her up.

"Oh Richard." Nicole said. "You have such a good soul." She embraced him with a loving hug, while he gave an affectionate lick on the cheek.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"You know you love it." Richard said as her proceeded to lick her cheek. It was gross, but he was right. Nicole really loved it.

* * *

_**An Hour Later...**_

"And here is our weapons room." Kleiner said as he, Barney, and Alyx lead the rest of the group into the Weapons Room. After breakfast, the group were given a tour around the base, since it's going to serve as a Hub Home during their work with the SPD. They were just getting back from the Communications Room, where Mordecai and Gumball made sure Darwin and Rigby didn't push any buttons, especially big red buttons. Word of advice, don't ever push the red ones. Now they were touring the weapons room, which is where the Space Police Delta stores their weapons. Many weapons, ranging from blades, axes, guns, snipers, even vehicles like bikes, trucks, and even tanks were stored here, and the group was quite impressed.

"Wow, nice guns." Ratchet said.

"And nice rides." Jak said.

"Thank you, they are all SPD property, by the way." Kleiner said. "We have used these during various missions around the globe against terrorist groups and Kaijin species."

"Is this where you get your cool weapons and such?" Lincoln asked CJ.

"More or less." CJ answered. "But my armor comes with all the battle cards and equipment needed to access my arsenal." Marshall took a look a round, and spotted a vehicle that looked like Chase's Police Car, but it was more blue, with green lining, silver plates, and tires with spikes on the rims.

"Hey Chase, that vehicle looks like yours." Marshall said.

"It is mine." Chase said. "This is where I got my own equipment, and my new Plasma Ball Launcher."

"Plasma Ball Launcher?" Marshall asked.

"Yeah." Chase said. "I was surprised by it too."

"You guys use all kinds of weapons?" Gumball asked.

"Yep, we range from energy swords, axes, blasters, guns." Barney said. "And of course Eli's favorite, the Gravity Gun."

"Gravity Gun?" Ratchet asked.

"We'll show you." Alyx said as she led the group towards one the weapon racks, which showed several Gravity Guns.

"This is the Gravity Gun." Alyx said, taking one of them off the wall.

"Gravity Gun?" Lincoln asked.

"Actually it's the Zero Point Energy Field Manipulator." Dr. Kleiner said. "Or known as ZPEFM." ZPEFM? Who came up with a name like that?

"That's a long name." Ben said.

"And that's why we call it the Gravity Gun." Alyx said. "It's designed to handle dangerous hazards, but we mainly use it for heavy lifting."

"Heavy lifting?" Lincoln asked. "You mean lift stuff off the ground with it, despite how much it weighs?"

"You catch on pretty quick, kid." Alyx said with a nod. "It's quite handy for clearing mine fields."

"Hey, can I see that?" Ratchet asked, with the girl handing him the device. The lombax examined the gun from top to bottom.

"What's he doing?" Jak asked.

"He does this from time to time, whenever he gets a new weapon or gadget." Clank said.

"So he's like a gun inspector or something?" Daxter asked.

"If you wanna call him that, yes." Sonic said, with Jak and Ben givnig a chuckle. Clank also examined the device.

"Hmmmm... it seems that it is powered by a Xen crystal, a crystaline structure of exotic matter." Clank said. "Do you have blueprints for this device?"

"Right here." Alyx said as she gave the blueprints to the two, and the lombax began to read them silently.

"It looks like it's custom made from... Blargian tech." Ratchet said. Seeing those words, and examining the prints put a smile on his face. "Clank, you got those mods we bought from Slim Cognito?"

"Yes, I do." Clank said as he opened his air vent, and pulled out various different parts and mods.

"Wow." CJ said. "How does that little robot fit all those in there?"

"No one knows." Sonic said. Back with Ratchet he picked up the necessary parts that he thinks would work and began working.

"Alright then." Ratchet said as he tossed the blueprints aside, took the Gravity Gun and the mods he needed and began... tinkering with the gun. "Ok, all I have to do is invert the energy coil, then add a couple of wires here and there, re-adjust the Xen crystal-" The sounds of tinkering, wires, and other working noises were made as the lombax began re-arranging the gun, as the others watched.

"What is he doing now?" Lincoln asked.

"He's upgrading it." Clank said.

"Upgrading it?" Mordecai and Rigby asked.

"...and Done!" Ratchet said, lifting the weapon up, showing the device which was now glowing blue, with a larger xen crystal chamber, and a sharper nozzle.

"What just happened?" Kleiner asked.

"I think he enhanced one of our Gravity Guns." Alyx said with a smile.

"What a tinker." Barney said.

"It's now known as the Physics Gun." Ratchet said.

"Physics Gun?" Rigby asked, then gave a snirkle and laugh. "That's the stupidest name for a gun that I've ever heard." As the raccoon laughed, the blue jay next to him rolled his eyes in annoyance. Ratchet on the other hand, looked at the laughing raccoon, then at the physics gun.

"May I test it on him?" He asked.

"Go for it." Mordecai said, getting Rigby's attention.

"Wait, what?" He asked. Before he could react, the lombax aimed the physics gun and shot a beam right at rigby. To everyone's surprise, the raccoon was lifted off the ground.

"Hey, What are you doing?!" Rigby asked. "Put Me Down! Put Me Down!"

"Whoa..." Ben and Mordecai said.

"The Physics Gun acts like the Gravity Gun, only now it's range of what it can lift is upgraded." Ratchet said. "Not only does it lift and manipulate objects, but organic life-forms as well." He held Rigby into place, and then shot at the Raccoon's arm, making it move by how the ray wants it to go, and it made Rigby slap himself in the face.

"Cool..." Mordecai said.

"Put me down!" Rigby shouted. "Put me down!" Despite acting like he wasn't listening, Ratchet clicked the trigger again, the beam disappeared and Rigby fell head first on the floor.

"Ow." The raccoon said, with the Watterson boys laughing.

"If you guys liked the Gravity Gun, allow me to show you some of our own equipment." Kleiner said as he showed the a wall of various gadgets, such as their own Grapple Hook Launcher, which was a gun which shoots out a grappling hook.

"This here is our custom Grapple Hook launcher." Kleiner said. "They're made with an unbreakable tethers that are hard as steel. You all will need them if you're going to reach high places."

"Oh that won't be necessary." Sonic said, revealing a metal device around his wrist. "I got my own Grappling hook right here."

"I can just use my Swingshot." Ratchet said.

"And my Chain Grapple Claw can let me swing from one place to another too." Lincoln said. "The chains themselves are made with titanium aloe and-"

"Oh yes, I'm sure they're adorable." Kleiner said with annoyance as he rolled his eyes, with the boy tilted his head in confusion.

"Ok, someone's too proud of their work." Lincoln said.

"We also have combative fighting suits to deal with the bigger kaijin." Kleiner said. "Especially this baby." He then took the sheet from one of the covered up suits, revealing a tall mech-suit, tall and thick, with the right hand looking like a pincher, with the left hand holding a large pistol, with rocket launchers on the upper body, and four massive guns on it's back. One being a plasma rifle, a laser cannon, a gattling gun, and a six hole blaster too.

"I give you the _Exo-Battle Mech Mk X_, the ultimate in military hardware." Kleiner said. "Complete with a laser cannon, RPG rocket launchers, indestructible titanium exo-skeleton, and motion activated plasma pulse rifles."

"Whoa..." Gumball, Darwin, Aelita, and Carrie said with a bit of surprise.

"I hope that isn't plugged in." Sonic said.

"No, it's only powered from inside the suit." Alyx said.

"What the heck was he thinking making this." Ben said.

"Fudge." Daxter said, with Jak looking at him.

"That's not the word for F-bomb." He asked.

"No, I was answering his question." Daxter said. "The doctor was thinking about fudge when making this."

"That's nice and all, but I don't think we'll need an exo-suit or something like that." Tommy said unimpresesed. "We got Robotboy with us. He can handle the bigger ones."

"Yes, but he is battery operated." Kleiner said. "This one doesn't need a battery. You got something more impressive?"

"Yeah." Ben said. "I have an alien watch that lets me turn into several different aliens."

"I got Super Sonic Speed." Sonic said.

"A magical belt that gives me Tiger Powers." Lincoln said.

"And I can harness Eco, and I have a Morph Gun that can turn into twelve different mods, and my MaceStaff." Jak said, pulling out his Macestaff.

"Damn straight!" Daxter said. "Bet you don't have one of those, do ya?"

"An ancient weapon powered by the Percursors?" Kleiner asked. "Impressive, but nothing is compare to what our technology can do."

"Yes, but Earth is still Level 2, and they won't hit Level 3 until a hundred years or so." Ben said.

"Are we just gonna let them argue about this?" Lincoln asked.

"Yeah." CJ said. "It's entertaining."

"It doesn't matter what level our technology is." Kleiner said. "It's how we use it. So far the only thing we've seen of any technology higher than ours is the little robot that walks around with the furry alien." Clank felt insulted, and Ratchet stepped forward.

"Hey, that little robot is my friend." Ratchet said. "And I'd be careful if I were you. His propellers can be used as melee weapons and I installed machine guns in his finger tips."

"Machine guns?" Kleiner asked. "Is that really all?"

"Yes, but Ratchet possesses a large arsenal of weapons, such as the Visibomb Gun, the Plasma Coil, the Suck Cannon-" Clank said as he went on with the list.

"Oh, and they're probably good looking too, I believe." Kleiner said, even more annoyed.

"Ok, sir?" Ratchet asked, summoning a green rocket launcher with a short handle and eight revolving barrels that contained yellow rockets. It's name? The Warmonger. The sight of the rocket launcher surprised Kleiner greatly.

"You really wanna test me?" Ratchet asked, with everyone else, except for Clank and Sonic, surprised and astonished by the lombax holding a rocket launcher out of nowhere.

"Uhhh..." Kleiner said, unable to find the words.

"Yes? Ok." Ratchet said as he pointed the rocket launcher forward at the battle robot, pulled the trigger, and fired four rockets at the mech, causing it to explode into smitherines, leaving nothing but the legs of the Exo-Skeleton, and the Pincers.

"Oooooooo..." Sonic, CJ, Lincoln, Ben, Jak, Gumball, Aelita, Carrie, Clank, Tommy, Chase, Mordecai, and Rigby said in unison.

"Nice." Daxter, Marshall and Darwin said together. Issac Kleiner, however, dropped his pencil and watched with shock.

"That... that was three months of hard work on that... that beautiful creation." Kleiner said, before he rushed towards it and started weeping.

"He's gonna be ok, is he?" Sonic asked.

"Yeah, he'll be ok." Alyx said. "It was an ugly mech anyway."

"At least it's out of its misery, right?" Barney said. Lincoln glanced at the Lombax and his Warmonger.

"Whoa... how many weapons do you have?" Lincoln asked.

"About... more than a hundred." Ratchet said. The white haired boy's mouth hung open a bit.

"Dang son..." Lincoln said.

"I know." Ratchet said.

"You just have all those on you?" Chase asked surprised. "You have a permit to carry that, right?"

"Of course he does." Clank said. "We are Galactic Rangers."

"Protectors of the Galaxy." Ratchet said. "But I also love fixing ships."

"But how do you carry them all?" Marshall asked.

"You really don't wanna know." Clank said.

"I see somebody torched that ugly mech." A raspy voice said. Turning around, the group saw Skips coming into the room. Surprisingly, he was actually wearing his suit, which looked like Nicole's, but this one had body armor on the chest, shoulders, knees, and arms. The Red A was on the chest area.

"Whoa, Skips." Mordecai said. "Nice duds."

"You're seriously gonna wear that?" Rigby asked.

"Yeah." Skips said. "Get used to it for a while."

"Ok guys, it's almost time for training." Alyx said.

"Training?" Sonic asked as he began to stretch. "About time. I've been wanting to go warm up."

"So, what are we gonna be doing?" Lincoln asked. "Are we gonna do some running exercises, target practice, Capture the Flag, or Multi-Combat Training?"

"Actually, you boys are doing all the above." Alyx said.

"Great." Ben said. Gumball began to look around, noticing that he hasn't seen his mom since breakfast.

"Hey, where's mom?" He asked.

"Alright boys, play time's over." Gumball's mom spoke. The group turned around and to their surprise, they saw Nicole Watterson approaching them, wearing her combat gear, with Richard following behind. Gumball and Darwin's mouths dropped open. They have never seen their mom in combat gear. Though they did see their mom in combat gear during her company paint ball fight, but nothing like this.

"Mom?" Gumball asked as Darwin was still speechless, and having a bit of a nose bleed.

"Mrs. W." Sonic said. "That's a nice get-up you got there." The sudden whistle blow from Nicole caused Sonic to jump back a bit with surprise, and startling Ben, Mordecai, and Rigby.

"All Stand in Attention!" Nicole shouted loudly. A little surprised, everyone stood in attention, even Gumball, Darwin, Aelita, and Carrie.

"Ready for Action!" Chase said as he stood in attention, nudging Marshall to stand in attention as well.

"Me too!" The dalmation responded quickly.

"Ok, listen up, gentlemen." Nicole said. "You are with the SPD now, and we expect you to give it your all. I don't wanna hear any crying, I don't wanna hear any whining, and definitely no cocka-doodle-dooing!" As she spoke, the boys were a bit surprised. Like Gumball and Darwin, Sonic had his own share of dealing with Nicole's aggressiveness, but the others didn't.

"Sounds like someone didn't eat breakfast today." Ben said, which was met with a stare from Nicole.

"Say that again..." She spoke with a lower tone.

"Nothing." Ben said as he stood tall, knowing that he should be quiet.

"You know I gotta admit, I do love a woman in uniform." Daxter said.

"Dax, don't even-" Jak said, but it was too late as Daxter approached the mama cat for some smooth talking.

"Excuse me miss, but I couldn't help but notice that you have a ... dominant attitude-" Daxter began, but suddenly two energy blades almost touched his nose, making him yelp. Looking up, Nicole had her battle gauntlets on, and her blades were active.

"Keep talking and I'll raise your voice a couple of more octaves." She said.

"Uhhh, point taken." Daxter said as he backed away and lined up with the others, as Jak only shook his head. As Nicole continued talking, Gumball and the others were a bit surprised. Aelita glanced at the blue cat wondering what's going on, but Gumball only shrugged, showing that he didn't know, and neither did Darwin.

"As I was saying." Nicole continued as she walked down the line. "The SPD has three goals only. To Serve, To Protect, and to Take Down Kaijin monsters! We will not rest until the enemy is defeated and our planet is safe." Nicole then stopped at CJ and Lincoln, and glanced at the latter with a serious look.

"Can I trust you boys to give it your all?!" Nicole asked sternly but firmly, with Lincoln doing his best to keep his cool.

"Yes Sir!" Lincoln said with a salute. "I mean, Yes Ma'am! I mean... uhh..." The boy stumbled a bit, trying not to show disrespect.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Watterson." CJ said. "He'll give it his all." A wink from CJ made the boy nod with a smile.

"Excellent!" Nicole said as she patted both their heads affectionately before turning back to the others. "All right boys, it's time for training. We need all of you outside to the training grounds immediately! Is that understood?!"

"Yes Ma'am!" Sonic and the boys said in unison.

"Good!" Nicole said. "Now let's get going!" Despite looking confused, the boys gave a nod and made their way towards the door to the traiing grounds.

"C'mon, you three." Skips said to Mordecai, Rigby, and Tommy. "That means you all too."

"Oh, great." Rigby said disappointed.

"Dude, don't pout about it." Mordecai said.

"This should be fun." Tommy said as the three followed suit, while Gumball, Darwin, Aelita, and Carrie were a bit surprise.

"Mom, what's going on?" Gumball asked.

"Training." Nicole said as she tightened up her battle gauntlets. "Boys, Mommy is going outside to do some exercises, I'll be back soon." She then made her way towards the doors. Confused, Gumball was about to approach her.

"Uh, Mom, can I just ask you something for on-" Gumball said, wanting to know what's up.

"STAY PUT!" Nicole spoke loudly, making the younger blue cat stand still and more surprised. The mama cat took a deep breath and turned to her son, not looking aggressive, but showing a more kinder face.

"I'm just going outside to train, honey." Nicole said. "You all just stay inside, ok?" The younger blue cat only tilted his head, still wanting to know what was going on. But not wanting to risk angrying his mom, he gave a nod.

"Ok." Gumball said.

"Thank you, sweetie." Nicole said as she patted her son's head and kissed his forehead. With that said, she took her leave and ran towards the door. Richard came alongside Gumball and placed his hand on his son's shoulder.

"Don't worry son, she knows what she's doing." Richard said as the group saw Nicole run out the doors to the outside. Gumball took a deep breathe, gathering all of his thoughts, while trying to figure out what was going on.

"Ok, first off, Mom was so awesome doing that speech, and secondly, why is mom wearing that cool suit, and having those razor blades?" Gumball asked.

"Son, I think it's time that you learned some things about your mother." Richard said.

* * *

"So, let me get this straight!" Gumball said. "You're telling us that our mom was one of the most high ranking members of this whole Space Patrol Delta squad?!" The sound of the blue cat's surprised and shocked voice echoed a bit in the hallway. He, his father, Aelita, Darwin, Carrie, Alyx, Barney, Eli, Magnusson, and of course Tails, Sally, Chase, and Marshall were walking a bit down the hall. Gumball's shocked expression showed that Richard, and most likely Alyx had explained that Nicole was a member of the SPD. That was a shocker for the blue cat and his fish brother.

"It's Space Police Delta." Alyx said. "And to answer your question, yes, yes she was."

"Nicole Watterson was one of the most elite, highly skilled, and brutal members of the SPD." Eli said. "Amazing on the field, deadly to her enemies, and a legend in her own time. Your mother was one of the greatest ones we've ever worked with."

"Really?" Gumball asked. "You guys worked with her?"

"We sure did." Magnusson said. "She was the commanding leader of the A-Squad."

"The A-Squad?" Aelita asked. "What's that?"

"The A-Squad is one of the best of the SPD Teams that took down various terrorists around the world." Chase said. "They specialize in taking down hostile Kaijin from different worlds."

"And you know this because you were with the A-Squad?" Darwin asked.

"No, I wasn't even born yet." Chase said. "I read it up on the SPD's History Files."

"It's true, kids." Richard said. "Your mom is everything they just described."

"Your mom is a Monster Hunter?" Tails asked. "That's so cool!"

"Yeah, cooler than Everest when she saved Jake from falling over a cliff." Marshall said.

"But how come she never told _us_." Gumball said.

"Well, that's a long story." Richard said. "Some of her old friends died in an accident, and Nicole popped you out, and everything else you know. Come to think of it, your mother was actually in action when you were still in her tummy, son. She looked so hot back then, and she still is to this day." Darwin's eyes widened with amazement, while Gumball looked more confused.

"WHOA!" Darwin said, then glanced back at Gumball. "That is so awesome! And you got the front row seat!" The blue cat only stood there more surprised, not the fact that his mom was doing all this while he was growing inside her, but over the fact that she used to be a member of a huge multiverse protection agency.

"But... but... that's not possible!" Gumball said. "Our Mom isn't a monster killing multiverse protector!" Gumball said. "She's not cool enough!... wait, strike that, she is totally cool, but she's not... monster-killing multiverse protector badass cool, though she did slice those monsters up yesterday."

"You might wanna scratch that." Carrie said as she glanced out the window.

"Why?" Gumball asked.

"Look." She said pointing forward. The group made their way towards the window and saw what was outside. Gumball's mouth dropped open, and so did Darwin's. Outside in the Training Grounds, their mom, Nicole, was running across the field, doing amazing acrobatic jumps, spins, and twirling as she made her way across the obstacle course. Seeing several training drones making their way, ready to attack. Nicole let out a shout and activated her Razor Gauntlets. She then stabbed forward one drone, then twirled behind it while striking another drone, followed by a somersault that allowed her slam onto the next one from the air, followed by stabbing two drones that approached her from the sides, and then she jumped into the air and slammed her fists into the ground, blasting away the other drones around.

"YAAAAHH!" Nicole shouted with a battle cry, unaware that everyone behind the glass wall was watching.

"Whooaaa..." Marshall, Chase, Sally and Tails said. Aelita glanced back at Gumball's who still had his mouth hung open.

"Gumball, are you ok?" Aelita asked.

"Holy... shitacki mushrooms..." Gumball said.

"Ok, that's cool." Darwin said, with the blue cat giving a nod.

Back on the training field, Nicole spotted several flying training drones hovering and flying away. The mama cat began to sprint towards them, giving chase. She continued to pursuit them, almost not breaking a sweat. Well... almost. She started to feel a bit dizzy all of a sudden, feeling her stamina was going down. She shook her head however and her vision was more clear. She continued to give pursuit, slicing one of the drones, completely unaware of a speedly blue hedgehog catching up to her.

"On your left!" A voice said from behind. Nicole turned her head, seeing Sonic running up beside her.

"Huh?" Nicole spoke.

"Haha!" Sonic said with a wave, before zipping past Nicole, spin dashing towards the drones and bashing them with his homing attacks, sending them falling to the ground.

"Hey, no fair!" She shouted.

"Gotta keep up!" Sonic said with a wave. He then dashed towards the pole neary by and began to swing on it, and then he leapt up onto the tall structure and continued to run up, while Nicole stopped and looked on. She then noticed something. She noticed Sonic was giving a spark across his body as he ran up the wall.

"Incredible..." She said. "He seems to give off some electric energy." The blue hedgehog kept running upwards, seeing more training drones making their way behind him. He gave a chuckle as he readied his sword, but then, Ratchet, with Clank on his back, began to ride along the wall with his hoverboots, catching up with Sonic from the side.

"Hey, blue blur!" Ratchet called out, getting his attention. "Heads up!" He then tossed a metallic glove to Sonic. It was a black glove with red fingers, a green triangular mark on the back of the hand, and a green motion screen with buttons on the wrist. It was the Mine Glove!

"Hey, My Mine Glove!" Sonic said as he placed it on. He then turned around, and threw several spiked orb-like mines across the wall, which began to zoom in onto the training drones, and exploded on impact.

"Bull's eye!" Sonic cheered as he continued to run up the wall.

"You really love to show off, don't ya." Ratchet said.

"What can I say?" Sonic asked.

"Ha, watch this." Ratchet said as he clicked his hoverboots and flew up the side of the wall. At the top, Mordecai and Rigby were shooting with their staff and Shock Blaster, but they were struggling at the least, while trying to jump out of the way of the shots. Suddenly, Ratchet leaped from the side of the building and pulled out his Dual Vipers, small rapid machine guns with small nozzles, but large magazines full of energy bullets. Ratchet then aimed at the training bots, and fired, shooting multiple bullets at each bot, causing them to drop, while two more emerged behind Ratchet, which Clank was able to catch eye of.

"Ratchet, we got bots behind us." He said.

"Got it!" Ratchet said as he flipped backwards and shot more bullets at the two bots, causing them to power down.

"On your left." Clank said.

"On it!" Ratchet said as he turned left and fired up at more drones.

"Right." Clank said.

"Yep!" Ratchet said as he turned right and shot the drones on the right.

"Up above." Clank said.

"Hitting high!" Ratchet said as he fired upwards, shooting the droids above. Mordecai and Rigby were surprised.

"Whoa..." Mordecai said. "How did you do that?"

"We act as each other's eyes." Ratchet said. "And we work together." Clank gave a nod as he and Ratchet headed off to continue the training, while Mordecai and Rigby looked at each other.

"Huh, we just need to look out for each other and work together." Mordecai said.

"Just like we do with video games!" Rigby said.

"Speaking of which, heads up!" Mordecai called out as he aimed high and shot his Shock Blaster at one of the drones above Rigby.

"Look Alive!" Rigby said as he aimed his staff low and shot another one.

With Skips, he was also aiming high and low at the training drones with his Cannon Gun. Around his hands were big golden gauntlets with several designs and bolts in it, known as the Fists of Justice. He threw a massive punch at the drone, sending it into multiple drones behind it. But then he was shot in the back by one of the drones. The shots were not threatening, but they do leave a bit of burn. He turned around and fired his Cannon Gun, but he almost tripped from the shot. Coming to his side, Jak was on his Jetboard, Daxter on his shoulder. Arriving to the scene, Jak pulled out his Morph Gun and fired with the Scatter Gun Mod, while it shot at close range, it spread out like a shotgun, shooting the three drones away.

"Been a while since you've seen some action, huh?" Jak asked as he swung his Macestaff at another drone as the Yeti got back up.

"It never gets easy." Skips said as he aimed his cannon and fired, shooting down the training bots, while a dozen more surrounded the pair.

"You know what you need to do." Jak said as he inserted an additional purple mod on the Morph Gun, making the build at an elongated barrela and red charger on top. He then held the trigger down and aimed at the ground.

"You gotta mix things up a bit!" Jak finished as he released the trigger, causing a large circular blast of magenta eco to be released, with the radius enough to blast the training bots away, with Jak then switching the mods with a yellow mod, transforming it back into the blaster. He then leapt into the air and spun around, shooting out multiple bullets, hitting each training bot.

"Mix it up, huh?" Skips asked as he glanced at his Cannon Gun, with a long line between the middle.

"Alright, let's do that!" He said as he pulled his Cannon Gun apart, showing that it can split into two guns. With them, he fired shots all around him, while also whacking the training drones away.

Back with Tommy, he was moving left and right as he dodged multiple bullets, using his energy sword to bounce them back. Robotboy, in his Super-Active mode, was firing different rockets at the drones, until one drone shot an energy, hitting the robot and sending him to the ground.

"Robotboy!" Tommy said as he rushed to his robot friend. Turning around, he saw more drones approaching. Tommy stood his ground, ready to fight. Suddenly, Ben emerged to the scene between him and the training drones.

"Ok then, let's give them some lightning." Ben said as he selected the alien on his watch, then clicked it. With a green flash, there in Ben's place was a Cerebrocrustacean, which is an alien crab from the planet Encephalonus IV. Like a crab, he had pincers for hands, six legs, and has spikes all over it's face. The Omnitrix was wrapped around a white and green neck brace.

"BRAINSTORM!" He called out.

"Brainstorm?" Tommy asked. "Why that name?"

"It's simple." Brainstorm spoke, with a british accent. "Because I possess a higher form of intelligence ranged at 10^30 / one nonillion, solve very difficult equations, and more importantly, I can shoot electromatic energy shots from my brain!" He then opened skull plates, revealing a huge pink brain inside it, and it began to charge up with electricity. He then shot out multiple lightning bolts at the training drones, sending them across the floor.

"Whoa..." Tommy said.

"Yes, quite impressive." Brainstorm said. Suddenly, the drones got back up, and their colors switched to yellow with a thunderbolt symbol. They began to charge up, with electrical energy.

"Wait, they do electricity?" Tommy asked.

"It seems that they're imitating my own abilities." Brainstorm said. The drones then fired back, but Brainstorm then summoned an electric force field around him, Tommy, and Robotboy, which was allowing him to block the attacks, though the drones were immuned now that they're programmed to lightning attacks.

"Are they really going to keep using bolts of lightning?" Tommy said.

"Yes, they're going to keep blasting us with bullets of electrical discharges." Brainstorm said.

"You mean lightning bullets?" Tommy asked.

"Yes." Brainstorm said. "Forgive me if I speak in a form of advanced literature."

"So, we just shoot lightning back?" Tommy asked.

"No, that will certainly not do at all." Brainstorm said. "They will keep absorbing it with their electrical outlets. Instead..." He then clicked his Omnitrix, and with a green flash, transformed into Overflow, a red metallic alien, with two containers filled with water on his head and has black mask-like markings around his eyes. Two tubs of water reached from a respirator where his mouth should be to his back, and his forearms also had water, with three fingered hands and two black toes on each foot. This one is new.

"We just need to give them a splash with Overflow!" Overflow answered as he shot out pressurized water blasts from the tanks on his forearms, spraying water all over the training lightning bots. As they got wet, the electricity they were charging began to electricute themselves and caused them to burst and explode, and they laid dead on the ground.

"Wow..." Tommy said. "Of course, water's an excellent conductor of electricity."

"Yep." Overflow said. "Something you learn when hanging out with the unicorn."

"Yeah... wait what?" Tommy asked.

As for Lincoln, now as the NEX El Tigre, he was running forward after the battle drones as they turned around to shoot at him. The boy was able to jump left, slide right, and making a mighty leap onto one of them. Using his claws to dig into the machine, causing it to malfunction and collapse. He then jumped on the next one and spun it around, making it crash into one of the other ones while he finished the last one off. He then shot his grapple hook onto the pole to swing across the field, making a perfect landing. He gave a sigh of confidence, until a harmless bolt shot him in the shoulder. Turning around, he saw more drones surrounding him. He did his best to stand his ground. One drone quickly moved in to strike, until CJ, now as Captain Japan, made a quick slash with his Samuraizer Sword.

"Thanks." Lincoln said.

"No problem." CJ said as they both stood back to back. "Getting tired?"

"Don't feel tired yet." Lincoln said. Pretty soon, One drone from each side charged in.

"Your move!" He said as he and CJ swapped places, letting the masked rider slice the drone, and Lincoln took out the other.

"Your it!" CJ said said as they swapped again, taking out the other drones coming in. CJ summoned his Cypermaru-blade to take out two more drones while Lincoln grapped one with his grapple claw and flung it at a pair of other drones, unaware of a blue speed demon coming in to take out the last drone with a homing attack.

"Ya missed me?" Sonic asked.

"Hardly." CJ said, while three more drones came in to attack, one being shot down by a viper bullet, another taken out by Jak with his Macestaff, and the last one blasted by a jet torrent of water by Overflow.

"Ha, they call this training?" Daxter asked as he brushed his hands.

"Hey, any chance we can get an amp up the difficulty?" Overflow asked, unaware of Eli Vance and Arne Magnusson watching from the balcony.

"Ok, give them the big one." Magnusson said.

"I'd figured you'd say that." Eli said as he pressed the button. Then, before the trainees, from the ground, a larger training drone appeared, with massive arms, and some cannons on it's arms.

"Look alive, boys!" Nicole called out as she pointed forward, with the gigantic battle drone ready and armed with it's mighty fists. The drone aimed at the group and fired shots from all over. Quickly, the boys took cover as it continued to fire.

"So, how we take this bad boy out?" Jak asked. Clank looked from Ratchet's shoulder, scanning the drone from afar.

"It seems that it's weak spot is the head." Clank said. "If we damage it a few times, that should put an end to it."

"It'll target us the moment we get near it." CJ said. "It's not gonna be easy."

"It will be if we're fast enough." Sonic said. "Use me as the bullet." The guys looked at each other with surprise, but knowing him, they smiled.

"Alright then." Overflow said.

"Alright, scatter!" CJ said as he moved in, with Sonic, Lincoln, Overflow, Ratchet and Clank, Jak and Daxter moved in, all of them scattering about.

"Who wants the first throw?" Sonic asked.

"I'll do it if you don't mind getting wet." Overflow said.

"Not at all." Sonic said.

"Ok, go fast!" Overflow said as Sonic jumped on his arm. Overflow then shot out a jet torrent of water, shooting Sonic with high pressure, making him go fast as he spun around in a ball, hitting the drone in the head. As he bounced off, Ratchet caught him with his Suck Cannon.

"Time to Blow out!" Ratchet said as he fired the Suck Cannon, shooting Sonic as he spun in a ball rapidly, hitting the drone again. Then he was caught by Jak, who's hand was glowing blue, charging Sonic up with Blue Eco.

"Hit 'em hard!" He called out as he threw Sonic forward as the blue hedgehog, now sparking with electricity, bashed the drone's head once more, making it spark. Lincoln shot out his grapple claw, as Sonic grapped on, with Lincoln flinging him in a circle.

"As Luna would say it, Play it Loud!" Lincoln said as he tossed Sonic forward, allowing the blue hedgehog to whack the drone's head again. Then he was caught by CJ high in the air.

"Finish it Off!" CJ said as he threw Sonic downward, and the blue hedgehog spun rapidly, bashing into, no, bashing right through the drone's head down it's body, making it spark up and explode into smitherines! Nicole, Skips, Mordecai, Rigby, and even Tommy watched with amazement. Pretty soon, Sonic stood tall while CJ, Lincoln, Ratchet and Clank, Ben, Jak and Daxter jumped beside him, forming their victory poses, while Sonic twirled his sword forward and then placed it over his back and shoulder.

"興味ないね / Kyōmi nai ne." Sonic spoke as the drone gave one last explosion behind the group, none of them flinching or anything. Just standing in their victory poses.

"Whoooaaa..." Mordecai and Rigby said. The boys then glanced back at what was left of the drone.

"Well, that went pretty well." Ratchet said, just as Overflow transformed back into Ben. Recognizing that victory pose Sonic made, Lincoln glanced at the hedgehog.

"Did you literally just quote Cloud Strife from _Final Fantasy VII_?" He asked.

"Hey, he's got style too." Sonic said, making the white haired boy smile. At that moment, part of the drone's eye dropped and rolled to Sonic's feet. He glanced back at Nicole.

"Hey Mrs. W!" Sonic called out. "Heads up!" He kicked the robot eye in to the air and whacked it with his sword towards Nicole, who activated her energy blades and sliced it in half, making the pieces tumble away and explode again.

"Showoff." Nicole said.

"Look who's talking." Sonic said. "You did great too." Regardless, the mama cat gave a smile.

"YEAH!" Mordecai and Rigby said as they rushed forward to congratulate the boys, while Tommy joined in as well. Nicole only gave a sigh and a smile. Looking around herself, seeing the training field around her, she couldn't help but remember some familiar and happy moments from her time here.

"Brings back memories, doesn't it." Skips said.

"Yeah... wonderful memories." Nicole said. From the sidelines, everyone was taken back at the performance the heroes have done. Gumball and Darwin had their mouths dropped open the whole time. Suddenly, smiles formed on their faces.

"WOOOHOOOO!" The two cheered.

"Hey Mom!" Gumball called out, getting her attention. "That was totally awesome!" Hearing her son cheer for her out there made her feel proud. She gave a nod and a thumbs up.

"That was cool!" Darwin said as he clapped.

"Hey Aelita, wasn't Mom and Sonic amazing out there?" Gumball asked the pink haired girl, who was quite amazed by the action Sonic and his friends displayed out there. She gave a smile.

"Yeah." She said. "They did pretty great out there."

"Well, of course they did!" Marshall said between Aelita and Gumball. "Sonic still has it, doesn't he."

"Yeah, he sure does Marshall." Chase said. Back from the balcony, Magnusson and Eli were quite impressed with the boys' performance out there. Magnusson couldn't help but give a grin of relief.

"Guess bringing them in wasn't a bad idea after all." Magnusson said.

"Told ya." Eli said with a confident smile.

* * *

_**Later... in the Missions Room...**_

"Alright gentlemen." Magnusson said, with Kleiner and Eli on the side. "You all completed the training course, but now it's time for the real action to begin."

In the chairs of the long table were Sonic, Ratchet, Clank, Jak, Daxter, Ben, CJ, Lincoln, Mordecai, and Rigby. Nicole, Skips, Alyx, Barney, and Chase were standing on the side, though Tommy was leaning back against the wall. They were ready to listen in on what and who they were up against.

"The Dark Phoenix are who we're up against." Magnusson said. "They are a notorious terrorist organization consisted of rogue government agents, defective soldiers, and dangerous foes. They are led by former scientist of Black Mesa Wallace Breen, Dr. Otomo Kamikazi II, and a man named Hannibal Mago, otherwise known as _The Magician_." The photos revealed several pictures of the leaders of the Dark Phoenix, one that Sonic had recognize was Wallace Breen, the man in the dark green suit, dark slate eyes, with the white hair and short beard.

"Wallace Breen." Ben said. "Wasn't he originally part of the Black Mesa guys?"

"Used to be until he was exposed for hoping to control forces beyond human control." Alyx said. "He even paired up with the Black Arms to get his revenge."

"And used their technology to help Eggman power his own devices." Sonic said.

"So this is a recap of what you told me?" Lincoln asked CJ.

"Pretty much, but with more detail." CJ said, as Lincoln gave a nod.

"Their goal is, as you all can guess, World Domination." Magnusson continued. "They have been collecting old kaiju and tokusatsu artifacts to weaponize their forces, and use monsters to do their bidding, something will be eventually beyond their control. They seem to be working with the Shadowkan, strange evil mutants from another world, pretty much what is left of their _SHADOW Empire_, once led by Lord Destruction." Images appeared showing several types of Shadowkan, ranging from bat types, insect types, robotic ones, all kinds. The ones that the group was a bit surprised to see was of Lord Destruction, which CJ looked with a bit of tension.

"You alright?" Jak asked.

"Yeah... it's been years since I last fought against Destruction." CJ said. "I won the fight and his body was destroyed. Kinda feels like my fight is starting up again."

"Don't worry CJ." Ben said. "Whatever those Shadowkan will be planning next, we'll be ready. They have no idea who they're actually dealing with."

"Don't get too cocky, Benjamin." CJ said. "This isn't the same as facing against aliens, evil sorcerers, or those crazy Forever Knights that you faced. These Shadow-Mutants, they're dead serious."

"Right." Ben said, and looked at Sonic. "I'm not that cocky, am I?"

"If it makes you feel better, we're all pretty much cocky." Sonic said with a smirk.

"I don't get it." Ratchet said. "These guys are using these Shadow monsters, and bring him here into this world. CJ, you fought these guys before. How'd they keep spawning before?"

"The Shadowkan came here using some form of ancient magic." CJ said. "With Destruction gone, the stronger ones are either on the run or somewhere else."

"But more and more are showing up." Jak said. "How is that possible?"

"It would only be possible if the Dark Phoenix had advance research on the quantum physics." Clank said.

"And right you are." Magnusson said. "The Dark Phoenix are planning to pull more of these monsters into our world using the fields of computing and quantum mechanics, through the use of Project Carthage."

"Carthage..." Ben said. "Grandpa Max told me about that once, that it was originally said to be used to disrupt enemy communications."

"Was it?" Jak asked.

"No, it was for some kind of teleportation or something." Ben said. "Into other worlds."

"Dimensional Travel?" Ratchet asked.

"That is impossible." Clank said.

"Was impossible." Kleiner said as he showed the next slide. "Project Carthage was originally constructed nearly 30 years ago, consisting of many scientists, including Franz Hopper, who was known as Waldo Schaeffer." Another image was shown of the team of scientists and researchers on the Carthage Project. The boys noticed the man in the middle, one Sonic, Lincoln and CJ recognized, the man with the dark hair and the black sunglasses.

"Franz Hopper..." Sonic said.

"So that creepy guy is the dad of Gumball's girlfriend?" Rigby asked. Everyone glanced back at him. "What?"

"Dude, don't say that." Mordecai said. "That's rude."

"Hey, he just looks creepy, that's all." Rigby said.

"Ahem." Kleiner said, getting their attention. "We're talking here."

"Sorry..." The blue jay and raccoon said.

"Now, back to the point." Magnusson said. "Franz Hopper was the first one to discover of Black Mesa's true intentions, and tried to dispose of it's information. Unfortunately, the Dark Phoenix were able to construct their own, but now all they need is the power source, which is the final piece." Sonic looked back at the photo with Franz and the other scientists, then someone in the right of the photo caught his eye. He saw a Japanese man in a white lab coat, with orange hair sticking up a bit with old style glasses. He remembered seeing that face before.

"Wait, that guy on the far right..." Sonic said. "That's Professor Moshimo."

"Yes, Professor Akira Moshimo." Magnusson said.

"You know him?" Kleiner asked.

"Yeah, he helped me and Tails fix the Tornado." Sonic said. "He's friends with Tommy and he's Robo-dude's creator."

"He was part of the Carthage Project too." Tommy said, getting the hedgehog's attention. "And now he's missing."

"Does the Dark Phoenix have him?" Sonic asked.

"We're not sure." Eli said. "There hasn't been any contact with him ever since his place was raided. It's most likely that he's been abducted."

"Then we have to save him." Tommy said.

"Don't worry, we will when the time comes." Eli said.

"As I was saying..." Kleiner continued. "Project Carthage was actually designed as a teleportation device, a massive warp gate that would allow matter to transport from one place to another, pretty much anywhere."

"A wormhole device?" Clank asked.

"Anyway you want to call it." Kleiner said. "The original design was made by the group years ago, where some believed it would be used to allow us to live on should our world come to an end. However, it was later discovered by Franz Hopper that the group who hired the scientists were planning to use it for world domination."

"Global Conspiracy." Daxter said. "Called it!"

"And now the Dark Phoenix are planning to use theirs for their benefitial gain, and with it, they will take over the world." Magnusson said. "Now our main objective is to stop them, whatever it takes. With Hydra Force out of commission, we can focus our attacks on the Phoenix."

"And I guess we'll be that team." Sonic said.

"Exactly." Kleiner said.

"Our first objective is to attack their Rail Outpost in the Chihuahuan Desert." Magnusson said. "Rumor has it that that's where their weapons and vehicles are made, so we need to blow it up. There is also a train stationed there that is said to be containing the power source needed to charge their wormhole. The train must be stopped at all cost. Then we will strike their Lab Institution in Chemical Plant. We infiltrate the base and we hack into their database there to find out whatever else they have up their sleeve, and hopefully the location to their stronghold. Then, with the power source safe in our possession, we will strike their operations with everything we have."

"And we blow them up, wipe 'em out, and be back in time for more waffles!" Daxter said.

"As much as it all seems simple, we will have to keep our guard up." Clank said. "No doubt the Dark Phoenix already have information about us as well, so they could be expecting us."

"You're overreacting tin-can." Daxter said. "We're the big boys here, we totally got this." Hearing Daxter sound overconfident made Jak roll his eyes and shake his head.

"Still, we should take Clank's word into consideration." Ratchet said. "He makes a good point. There is a possibility they'll be expecting us." Hearing Ratchet's support placed a smile on Clank's face.

"And that's why we must all stay vigilant, and most importantly patient." Magnusson said, and then turned his attention towards Nicole. "Nicole, you be there with them every step of the way. Skips, you back them up. And Turnbull..."

"Tommy's just fine." The blonde said.

"Right." Magnusson said. "Tommy, you ride along too. Moshimo's Creation listens to you, so that'll help us greatly.

"Ok." Tommy said. "Oh, and his name is Robotboy."

"Whatever you wanna call him." Magnusson said.

"Alright then... Let's do it to it." Sonic said as he and the rest got up from their seats, ready for action.

* * *

"C'mon Chase, Lemme come with you." Marshall said, as the two pups were making their way towards the hanger, where everybody was getting ready to take off for their mission. After hearing that Sonic and the others were off on their first mission, the Dalmatian pup was very eager to come along. But Chase had a different response.

"No can do, Marshall." Chase said. "This is for SPD operatives only."

"But Chase, I can totally help." Marshall said.

"Nope." Chase said. "This is nothing like what we do back in Adventure Bay. This is real life combat with terrorists and monsters."

"But you guys might need me." Marshall said. "I am a Medicpup. I can help check if you guys need any medical assistance. Plus, I helped Sonic take down the Huntsclan."

"We all were there, Marshall." Chase said.

"But if you guys get seriously hurt, who's gonna patch up your wounds and give you medicine?" Marshall asked.

"Marshall." Chase said sternly.

"What's going on?" Sonic asked as he approached the two.

"Oh, well... I was wondering if I could go with you guys." Marshall said. "I mean, if that's ok with you." Sonic tilted his head.

"Is that why you guys are fighting?" Sonic asked.

"Yes." Marshall said, with Chase giving a sigh. "I can be loads of help. If you guys get injured, who's gonna help you guys get medical assistance?" Sonic then started to think.

"Well, we do need a medic for our team." Sonic said.

"So, does that mean I can come along?" Marshall asked. "Please?"

"Well, this is nothing like saving lives and dealing with greedy Foggy Mayors." Sonic said. "And this is like... ten times more serious than dealing with the Huntsclan. Are you sure you wanna come along with us?"

"Of course." Marshall said. "I'm ready for a Ruff Ruff Rescue! ...or Ruff Ruff Mission in this case." Chase only gave a sigh in defeat. He really didn't want Marshall to be out there up against whatever is going on. But... Marshall is also the Paw Patrol's Medicpup, and they might need a medic on the field, and nobody does a good job as a medic than Marshall, despite him being only thirteen in dog years.

"It's up to you, Sonic." Chase said. That made Sonic give a chuckle and smile.

"Alright then." Sonic said. "Sounds good to me."

"Yes!" Marshall said.

"Ok, as long as Sonic is cool with it." Chase said. "But you have to take orders, ok?"

"Aye Aye, sir!" the Dalmation pup said, as Kleiner and Alyx approached the two.

"So, you're going along with them, aren't ya?" The latter asked.

"Sure am." Marshall said.

"You might as well take this with you." Kleiner said, placing a strange looking, but very advanced device on Marshall's back. It looks just like a puppack, but it's decorated with white, with red colored components attached to it.

"What's this?" Marshall asked.

"It's a special pack that will help you." Kleiner said, with the pack emitting a strange gun-like device with a barrel that had glowing lights around it. "The gun is known as the Kritzkrieg. It will allow you to heal allies around you, and give them a boost for a limited time. The pack also comes with a Energy Crossbow, and a limited edition Prinny Machete too." The pack also emitted an white crossbow with energy bullets, and it sprouted an arm holding a machete.

"Whoa..." Marshall said. "Thank you, Dr. Kleiner."

"We also added some modifications to your pup pack as well, Chase." Alyx said as she placed the pack back on Chase. "We added some tweaks to your Plasma Ball Launcher, which can fire sticky bombs. Your combat knife now has electric-energy for additional damage. And we've added a homing rocket launcher as well." The pack also revealed the Plasma Ball Launcher, and the new combat knife, and a rocket launcher on the top.

"Awesome!" Chase said. "Thanks again, guys."

"Well, you guys ready?" Sonic asked.

"Ready for action!" Chase and Marshall said. Pretty soon, everyone made it to the Hanger, where the Carrier Copter was waiting. Of course, Ratchet and Clank are gonna ride in their Starship while Jak and Daxter will be riding in the Hellcat VI.

"So, our first mission begins." Lincoln said.

"You ready for this?" CJ asked.

"Yep." Lincoln said with a smile. "I'm ready."

"Then let's go." CJ said. Having everything they need, the two made their towards the ship. Pretty soon, Nicole went into the Hanger, with Richard following her.

"When I'm away honey, make sure the boys don't do anything drastic, ok?" She asked her husband.

"Don't worry, honey." Richard said with a strong salute. "I got it all taken care of. You just look after yourself, ok?"

"Ok." Nicole said as she gave the big rabbit a kiss on the cheek. She then made her way towards the Carrier Copter.

"Mom!" Nicole turned her head, hearing her son's voice. The younger blue cat came rushing into the hanger and towards her.

"Gumball?" Nicole asked. "Is everything alright?"

"I just wanted to see you off... and..." Gumball said, and he looked at the ground, trying to find the words to speak.

"Yes, honey?" Nicole asked. The younger cat took a deep breath.

"Mom, let me come with you, please?" Gumball said. Nicole was surprised to hear that, but she shook her head, already having her answer.

"No, Gumball." Nicole said. "You need to stay here where it's safe. It's too dangerous."

"But... but what if you don't come back?" Gumball said. Nicole only sighed as she face palmed her head. The younger blue cat only lowered his head in defeat, his ears dropping down.

"Listen, honey, I know you want to help, but this is very dangerous." Nicole said. "You may have survived a bullet to the head, but if anything were to happen to you, I could never forgive myself."

"But I really wanna help, mom." Gumball said. Nicole only gave a smile.

"Gumball, you are helping." Nicole said.

"By staying out of the way?" Gumball said.

"Of course not, honey." Nicole said. "You need to look after the others, ok? Besides, Aelita needs you. She's your priority right now." Gumball realized that his mother was right. This was dangerous. He may have survived death twice, but next time he probably won't be lucky. Besides, Aelita needs him. He wasn't going to leave her side. No way, no how. He gave a nod.

"Ok." He said. "Just promise me you'll be back?"

"I promise, honey." Nicole said. "Listen to your father, alright?"

"Ok." Gumball said with another nod. He hugged her tightly, and she did so as well. Giving him a kiss on the cheek, they broke the hug and went to the ship. She glanced back at her son.

"I'll be back." She said, imitating the Terminator. Hearing that made Gumball smile and chuckle. He gave a wave, and she did so as well. Then she turned and headed for the ship. Gumball then let out a sigh of sorrow, just as Aelita approached him, with Darwin and Carrie following suit.

"Are you ok?" She asked.

"I don't know." Gumball said.

"She's really going out there, isn't she." Carrie said.

"Well, at least we don't have to go fighting, right?" Darwin asked.

"Dude, that doesn't make me feel any better." Gumball said.

"Sorry." Darwin said, just as Sonic came to his side.

"Not used to seeing your mom as a Space Police-woman, huh?" Sonic asked.

"No." Gumball said. "This is still a lot to take in."

"I know." Sonic said as he patted the cat's head. "This is quite a lot for me to take in too."

"How do you handle it?" Gumball asked.

"Just keepin' my chin up." Sonic said. Hearing allowed Gumball to smile a teeny bit, but worry was still getting to him.

"Don't worry, kid." Sonic said. "I'll look after your mom. You look after the others, ok?" Hearing that made the blue cat give a smile, and he stood firmly with a salute.

"You got it." Gumball said. Sonic gave the blue cat a thumbs up.

"Sonic!" A pair of voices called out. Looking forward, he saw Tails flying towards him, and Sally following behind.

"You be careful out there, ok?" Tails asked.

"Don't worry, guys." Sonic said. "I will."

"Look after Chase too, alright?" Sally asked.

"Sal, you know that pup can look after himself." Sonic said.

"I know, but do so, alright?" Sally asked.

"No problemo." Sonic said.

"Sonic?" Aelita asked, getting his attention. "Good luck." The blue hedgehog gave a thumbs up and a wink, making her smile. With a salute, he made his way towards the ship to get ready to fly. Sally glanced at Gumball and noticed that he looked pretty sad, and worried.

"You ok?" Sally asked.

"Yeah." The blue cat responded, his head hung low. "I'm just worried I might not see my mom again."

"Well, knowing your mom, I'm sure that she'll be fine." Tails said. "I mean, she did jump into a flooding city to save you from drowning."

"Yeah, but all this stuff that's been happening." Gumball said. "Being chased by crazy killers, creepy monsters. Sure, mom was able to take some of them on, but this..." He lowered his head, his hands covering his forehead, feeling a bit distraught. Aelita gave him a hug for comfort, while Darwin petted him on the cheek.

"Don't worry." Sally said. "She'll be alright."

"How do you know?" Gumball asked.

"I won't lie to you." Sally said. "Whenever Sonic would run off in the face of danger, I'd always worry about him. Eventually those worries made me selfish, and it nearly tore us apart. But I know whenever he runs off to save the world, he does so for us. He really cares about the planet. He cares about life. He cares about those around him. That's why he goes off on adventures, not just for the thrill or joy of it, but to help those who need it." She glanced back at the blue cat.

"Your mom's doing the same thing." Sally said. "She's throwing herself into the face of danger to protect you."

"But how do you know they'll be ok." Gumball asked.

"Just know that they'll come back safe." Sally said. "Your mom will be alright, just as Sonic will be alright. And besides, he's not alone this time." Looking forward, the two saw Sonic jumping onto the ship, talking with CJ, Lincoln and the others. Gumball gave a warm smile. Sally was right. His mom will be ok. Sonic's gonna look after her, and he's got loads of help.

"So, we're gonna go blow up a Outpost and raid a train." Jak said. "That's gonna be fun."

"Yeah." Daxter said. "Those freaks ain't gonna know what hit 'em."

"Ok, you guys ready to roll?" Sonic asked.

"You bet." Ben said. "It's Hero Time!"

"Does he always have to say that?" Clank asked.

"C'mon, pal." Ratchet said. "It's his shtick."

"Let's move out." CJ said as he, Lincoln, and Sonic jumped aboard the Carrier Copter, where Nicole, Skips, Tommy, and of course Robotboy were waiting. Jak and Daxter hopped into the Hellcat VI, getting everything ready for take off, while Ben, Mordecai, and Rigby, joined Ratchet and Clank in the Starship. Sonic gave one last look to see everyone watching.

"Good luck, Mister Sonic!" Darwin called out. "Have fun!" Gumball glanced back at Sonic and smiled.

"Hey Blue Blur!" He called out. "You be back soon, ok? Show them what you're made of!" The blue hedgehog smiled.

"You got it, little blue dude!" Sonic called back with a wave, and the ship doors closed up. Pretty soon, the Carrier Copter, the Starship, and the Hellcat VI lifted themselves off the ground and flew past the open doors, ready to take on their first mission. Everything was just practice. Now the real adventure begins!

* * *

**Well, this chapter has come to an end. Next chapter, our heroes will be on their way for their fist mission. So, we're gonna get some action next chapter!**

**The mech Kleiner showed off is loosely based on the robot bodysuit from _Aqua Teen Hunger Force_ in the episode _Total Re-Carl_. It acts just like the robotsuit, but it doesn't need plugging in.**

**It's already been almost more than a week since Final Fantasy VII Remake came out, so I had Sonic do a pose as a little nod to the series in the chapter.**

**The Kritzkrieg and the Prinny Machete are weapons used by the Medic from Team Fortress 2. I'd figured I'd give Marshall some items of his own as he goes with Chase and the others on the missions that are coming soon.**

**Anyway, see you guys next time soon! I'm gonna try and deliver the next chapter to you guys as soon as possible. Stay home, and stay safe too!**

**Japanese Translation:**

**興味ないね / Kyōmi nai ne - I'm not interested**

**興味がない / Kyōmi ga nai - Not interested**


End file.
